Exopeptidases, aminopeptidases

There are several different types of exopeptidases aminopeptidases, carboxypeptidases, dipeptidyl-peptidases, tripeptidy 1-peptidases, peptidyl-... 

Fig. 37.3. Action of the digestive proteases. Pepsin, trypsin, chymotrypsin, and elastase are endopeptidases they hydrolyze peptide bonds within chains. The others are exopeptidases aminopeptidases remove the amino acid at the N-terminus and the carboxypeptidases remove the amino acid at the C terminus. For each proteolytic enzyme, the amino acid residues involved in the peptide bond that is cleaved are listed beside the R group to the right of the enzyme name.

Exopeptidases catalyse the hydrolytic removal of only terminal amino acids from the polypeptide chain. They can therefore be classified into IV-termin-al exopeptidases (aminopeptidases, e.g. leucine ami-nopeptidase) and C-terminal exopeptidases (e.g. car-boxypeptidases A, B, Y etc.). Thi- and dipeptidases are also classified as exopeptidases. 

The intestinal mucosa secretes an alkaline, watery juice containing several enzymes. This secretion mixes with pancreatic juice and bile to form the intestinal juice. The succus entericus, a pure intestinal secretion, is a thin liquid consisting of water, bicarbonate, and a few enzymes. Among the enzymes found in the intestinal secretion are exopeptidase, aminopeptidase, amylase, maltase, invertase, lactase, lipase, and entero-kinase, which activates trypsinogen. 

Numerous peptidases with varying specificities have been described. Peptidases may be defined as enzymes that split peptide bonds of only terminal amino acids and thus are exopeptidases. Aminopeptidases hydrolyze peptide bonds involving acids with a free ai-amino group carboxypep-tidase requires that the a-carboxyl group be free. Dipeptidases and tripeptidases will split substrates in which there is only one peptide bond or only two peptide bonds, respectively. Peptidases such as prolinase, prolidase, leucineaminopeptidase, etc., exhibit side-chain specificity requirements as well as backbone requirements. Comprehensive reviews of peptidase activity have recently been written by Smith. 

Exopeptidases Aminopeptidase Dipeptidase Intestinal mucosa Intestinal mucosa Terminal —NHs+ Dipeptides... 

An exopeptidase that sequentially releases an amino acid from the N-terminus of a protein or peptide. Examples include cystinyl aminopeptidase (MEROPS M01.011), which removes a terminal cysteine from the biologically important peptides oxytocin and vasopressin, and methionyl aminopeptidase (M24.001), which removes the initiating methionine from cytosolic... 

Gener ally, a family of peptidases contains either exopeptidases or endopeptidases, but there are exceptions. Family Cl contains not only endopeptidases such as cathepsin L, but also the aminopeptidase bleomycin hydrolase. Some members of this family can act as exopeptidases as well as endopeptidases. For example, cathepsin B also acts as a peptidyl-dipeptidase, and... 

There are two main classes of proteolytic digestive enzymes (proteases), with different specificities for the amino acids forming the peptide bond to be hydrolyzed. Endopeptidases hydrolyze peptide bonds between specific amino acids throughout the molecule. They are the first enzymes to act, yielding a larger number of smaller fragments, eg, pepsin in the gastric juice and trypsin, chymotrypsin, and elastase secreted into the small intestine by the pancreas. Exopeptidases catalyze the hydrolysis of peptide bonds, one at a time, fi"om the ends of polypeptides. Carboxypeptidases, secreted in the pancreatic juice, release amino acids from rhe free carboxyl terminal, and aminopeptidases, secreted by the intestinal mucosal cells, release amino acids from the amino terminal. Dipeptides, which are not substrates for exopeptidases, are hydrolyzed in the brush border of intestinal mucosal cells by dipeptidases. 

Metallo proteases Exopeptidase group Peptidyl dipeptidase-A (ACE) Aminopeptidase-M Carboxypeptidase-A... 

The NC-IUBMB classifies peptidases (EC 3.4) into exopeptidases (EC 3.4.11-19), which remove one or a few amino acids, and endopeptidases (proteinases, EC 3.4.21-99), which catalyze the cleavage of peptide bonds away from either end of the polypeptide chain (Fig. 2.1). Exopeptidases are further subdivided into enzymes that carry out hydrolysis at the N-terminus or the C-terminus (Figs. 2.1 and 2.2). Thus, aminopeptidases (EC 3.4.11) cleave a single amino acid from the N-terminus [3] those removing a dipep-... 

One of the general principles of the Nomenclature Committee is that enzymes should be classified and named according to the reaction they catalyze. However, the overlapping specificities of and great similarities in the action of different peptidases render naming solely on the basis of function impossible [10]. For example, some enzymes can act as both endo- and exopeptidases. Thus, cathepsin H (EC 3.4.22.16) is not only an endopeptidase but also acts as an aminopeptidase (EC 3.4.11), and cathepsin B (EC 3.4.22.1) acts as an endopeptidase as well as a peptidyl-dipeptidase (EC 3.4.15). The actual classification of peptidases is, therefore, a compromise based not only on the reaction catalyzed but also on the chemical nature of the catalytic site, on physiological function, and on historical priority. 

The evolutionary classification has a rational basis, since, to date, the catalytic mechanisms for most peptidases have been established, and the elucidation of their amino acid sequences is progressing rapidly. This classification has the major advantage of fitting well with the catalytic types, but allows no prediction about the types of reaction being catalyzed. For example, some families contain endo- and exopeptidases, e.g., SB-S8, SC-S9 and CA-Cl. Other families exhibit a single type of specificity, e.g., all families in clan MB are endopeptidases, family MC-M14 is almost exclusively composed of carboxypeptidases, and family MF-M17 is composed of aminopeptidases. Furthermore, the same enzyme specificity can sometimes be found in more than one family, e.g., D-Ala-D-Ala carboxypeptidases are found in four different families (SE-S11, SE-S12, SE-S13, and MD-M15). 

Increased permeability is just one prerequisite in the development of useful peptide prodrugs. Another condition is that efficient bioactivation must follow absorption. Mucosal cell enzymes able to hydrolyze peptides include exopeptidases such as aminopeptidases and carboxypeptidases, endopepti-dases, and dipeptidases such as cytosolic nonspecific dipeptidase (EC 3.4.13.18), Pro-X dipeptidase (prolinase, EC 3.4.13.4), and X-Pro dipeptidase (prolidase, EC 3.4.13.9). For example, L-a-methyldopa-Pro was shown to be a good substrate for both the peptide transporter and prolidase. This dual affinity is not shared by all dipeptide derivatives, and, indeed, dipeptides that lack an N-terminal a-amino group are substrates for the peptide transporter but not for prolidase [29] [33] [34],... 

The in vitro hydrolysis of insulin has been shown to be catalyzed by exopeptidases and endopeptidases. Carboxypeptidase A (EC 3.4.17.1) cleaves the C-terminus of the B-chain (ThrB3°) and that of the A-chain (AsnA21) [145], Leucyl aminopeptidase (EC 3.4.11.1) cleaves the N-terminus of the B-chain (PheB1) and can continue to shorten it. But, leucyl aminopeptidase appears also able to cleave the N-terminus of the A-chain (GlyA1). In addition to these exopeptidases, entire insulin is also cleaved by endopeptidases of the... 

A novel concept of using bioadhesive polymers as enzyme inhibitors has been developed [97]. Included are derivatives of poly acrylic acid, polycarbophil, and car-bomer to protect therapeutically important proteins and peptides from proteolytic activity of enzymes, endopeptidases (trypsin and a-chymotrypsin), exopeptidases (carboxypeptidases A and B), and microsomal and cytosolic leucine aminopeptidase. However, cysteine protease (pyroglutamyl aminopeptidase) is not inhibited by polycarbophil and carbomer [97]. 

These proteolytic enzymes are all endopeptidases, which hydrolyse links in the middle of polypeptide chains. The products of the action of these proteolytic enzymes are a series of peptides of various sizes. These are degraded further by the action of several peptidases (exopeptidases) that remove terminal amino acids. Carboxypeptidases hydrolyse amino acids sequentially from the carboxyl end of peptides. They are secreted by the pancreas in proenzyme form and are each activated by the hydrolysis of one peptide bond, catalysed by trypsin. Aminopeptidases, which are secreted by the absorptive cells of the small intestine, hydrolyse amino acids sequentially from the amino end of peptides. In addition, dipeptidases, which are structurally associated with the glycocalyx of the entero-cytes, hydrolyse dipeptides into their component amino acids. 

The exopeptidases attack peptides from their termini. Peptidases that act at the N terminus are known as aminopeptidases, while those that recognize the C terminus are called carboxypeptidases. The dipeptidases only hydrolyze dipeptides. 

The metalloproteases include both exopeptidases (e.g., angiotensin-converting enzyme, aminopeptidase-M, and carboxypeptidase-A) and endopeptidases (e.g.,... 

The luminal surface of the intestine contains aminopeptidase—an exopeptidase that repeatedly cleaves the N-terminal residue from oligopeptides to produce free amino acids and smaller peptides. 

Most of the lysosomal proteases called cathepsins are small 20- to 40-kDa glycoproteins found in all animal tissues.313 Most are cysteine proteases which function best and are most stable in the low pH reducing environment of lysosomes. They resemble papain in size, amino acid sequence, and active site structures. Papain is nonspecific but most cathepsins have definite substrate preferences. Cathepsin B is the most abundant. There are smaller amounts of related cathepsins H (an aminopeptidase)314 and L315 and still less of cathepsins C, K, and others. Cathepsin B is both an endopep-tidase and an exopeptidase.316 It acts on peptides with arginine at either Pj or P2 but also accepts bulky hydro-phobic residues in Pj and prefers tyrosine at P3.317 Cathepsin S is less stable at higher pH than other cathepsins and has a more limited tissue distribution, being especially active in the immune system.318 319... 

Peptidases are often classified as either exopeptidases or endopeptidases, depending on the positional specificity of the bonds they hydrolyze. Exopeptidases act at peptide bonds located at either the N or C terminus of the protein. Those acting at the C terminus are referred to as carboxypeptidases, those acting at the N terminus as aminopeptidases. Endopeptidases, on the other hand, act at peptide bonds internal to the polypeptide chain. 

Leucine Aminopeptidase and Other N-Terminal Exopeptidases Robert J. DeLange and Emil L. Smith... 

Final degradation of substrates to oligopeptides and free amino acids may involve gastro-dermal exopeptidases such as a cathepsin C (Caffrey et al., 2004), which removes dipeptides from the N-terminus of proteins, and a leucine aminopeptidase (LAP McCarthy et al., 2004), which is capable of releasing free amino acids from peptides and dipeptides. However, it is notable that cathepsin B also exhibits carboxydipeptidase activity and, therefore, may well play a dual role (Tort et al., 1999 Caffrey et al., 2004). 

Specific enzymes, called exopeptidases, that cleave one residue at a time from the end of a polypeptide chain, can be used to provide information on the terminal residues. Aminopeptidases cleave amino acids from the N terminus carboxypeptidases from the C terminus. The released amino acid can then be identified as above by comparison with known standards. 

The remaining prohormone contains stretches of amino acids sequences unrelated to biological activity. These sequences are removed by proteolytic enzymes such as endopeptidases which act on dibasic or monobasic amino acid residues, and exopeptidases (e.g., carboxypeptidases and aminopeptidases) which remove amino acid residues from the C-terminal and N-terminal ends, respectively. A single prohormone may yield one or more biologically active and distinct hormones. 

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