Procarboxypeptidases

The proteases are secreted as inactive zymogens the active site of the enzyme is masked by a small region of its peptide chain, which is removed by hydrolysis of a specific peptide bond. Pepsinogen is activated to pepsin by gastric acid and by activated pepsin (autocatalysis). In the small intestine, trypsinogen, the precursor of trypsin, is activated by enteropeptidase, which is secreted by the duodenal epithelial cells trypsin can then activate chymotrypsinogen to chymotrypsin, proelas-tase to elastase, procarboxypeptidase to carboxypepti-dase, and proaminopeptidase to aminopeptidase. 

Procarboxypeptidase A is activated by the removal of a peptide of some 64 residues from the N-terminus by trypsin.153 This zymogen has significant catalytic activity. As well as catalyzing the hydrolysis of small esters and peptides, procarboxypeptidase removes the C-terminal leucine from lysozyme only seven times more slowly than does carboxypeptidase. Also, the zymogen hydrolyzes Bz-Gly-L-Phe with kcsA = 3 s-1 and KM = 2.7 mM, compared with values of 120 s 1 and 1.9 mM for the reaction of the enzyme.154 In contrast to the situation in chymotrypsinogen, the binding site clearly pre-exists in procarboxypeptidase, and the catalytic apparatus must be nearly complete. 

Conejero-Lara, F., J.M. Sanchez-Ruiz, P.L. Mateo, F.J. Burgos, J. Vendrell, and F.X. Aviles. 1991. Differential scanning calorimetric study of carboxypeptidase B, procarboxypeptidase B and its globular activation domain. Eur J Biochem 200 663-670. 

This zinc-dependent enzyme [EC 3.4.17.1], a member of the peptidase family M14, catalyzes the hydrolysis of peptide bonds at the C-terminus of polypeptides. Little hydrolytic action occurs if the C-terminal amino acid is aspartate, glutamate, arginine, lysine, or proline. Car-boxypeptidase A is formed from a precursor protein, procarboxypeptidase A. 

Bouma, B. N, Meijers, J. C. (2003). Thrombin-activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor (TAFI, plasma procarboxypeptidase B, procarboxypeptidase R, procarboxypeptidase U). J. Thromb. Haemost., 1, 1566-1574. 

The inactive precursors are called trypsinogen, pepsinogen, chymotrypsino-gen, and procarboxypeptidase. These precursors are converted to the active enzymes by hydrolytic cleavage of a few specific peptide bonds under the influence of other enzymes (trypsin, for example, converts chymotrypsinogen to chymotrypsin). The digestive enzymes do not appear to self-destruct, probably because they are so constructed that it is sterically impossible to fit a part of one enzyme molecule into the active site of another. In this connection, it is significant that chymotrypsin attacks denatured proteins more rapidly than natural proteins with their compact structures of precisely folded chains. 

Carboxypeptidases A and B are formed by the hydrolytic action of trypsin upon inactive precursors, procarboxypeptidases. These zymogens are synthesized in the pancreas from which they can be isolated (88). Depending on the preparation method, different forms of carboxypeptidase A are produced, varying in the N-terminal region (89). 

Table 7. Apparent stability constants for metal binding in procarboxypeptidase A, carboxypeptidase A and human carbonic anhydrase B...

Metal binding in procarboxypeptidase A is weaker than in the active enzyme ( 107), Table 7). It was proposed that the bonding involves sulfur and a weaker ligand than N (107). In view of the present concept of the chelating site in carboxypeptidase, further studies of the zymogen are necessary. In that connection, the cobalt complex should be valuable. 

Tan AK, Eaton DL. Activation and characterization of procarboxypeptidase B from human plasma. Biochemistry 1995 34 581 1-5816. 

The trypsin family of proteases plays a role in acute and chronic pancreatitis, as well as leads to its ultimate destruction [4, 105]. In pancreatitis, active exocrine enzymes are prematurely released inside the pancreatic duct. Various factors can contribute to the development of acute pancreatitis. Trypsinogen, chymotrypsinogen, procarboxypeptidase, and proelastase are inactive proforms of proteolytic enzymes produced by the pancreatic acinar cells. Following secretion these enzymes are activated in a cascade that converts trypsinogen to trypsin in the duodenum and/or small intestine. 

Carboxypeptidase A Procarboxypeptidase A Pancreas Two large fragments, MW 54,000 Trypsin C-terminal amino acids except basics, Pro and Cys... 

Carboxypeptidase B Procarboxypeptidase B Pancreas Uncertain Trypsin C-terminal basic amino acids... 

Trypsin ogen Chymotrypsinogen Proelastase Procarboxypeptidase A/B Procolipase Prophospholipase A2... 

In the duodenum, the pancreatic zymogens, trypsinogen, chymotrypsinogen, proelastase and procarboxypeptidase are converted into active enzymes by enteropeptidase and trypsin, as shown in Fig. 15-6. The activation of all the zymogens involves cleavage of peptide bonds and removal of peptides, enabling conformational changes and formation of a functional active site. 

Trypsinogen, chymotrypsinogen, proelastase, and procarboxypeptidase are all synthesized as single polypeptide chains with an Mr around 25,000-30,000. The initial step in the activation is the... 

Chymotrypsinogen, a single polypeptide chain of 245 amino acid residues, is converted to a-chymotrypsin, which has three polypeptide chains linked by two of the five disulfide bonds present in the primary structure of chymotrypsinogen. tt- and S-chymotrypsin also have proteolytic activity. In contrast, the conversion of procarboxypeptidase to carboxypeptidase involves the hydrolytic removal of a single amino acid. 

Figure 15. Conversion of procarboxypeptidase A to carboxypeptidase A by trypsin (151). The subunits are not cyclic polypeptides. ATEEase and HPLAase represents activities of activated subunits I and II on acetyl-1-tyrosine ethyl ester and hippuryl phenyllactic acid, respectively.

Bovine carboxypeptidase A is produced in the pancreas as a zymogen, procarboxypeptidase A, MW = 87,000. The proenzyme is composed of three polypeptide chains (151, schematically shown in Figure 15). On limited digestion with trypsin one or more peptide bonds in subunit II is split resulting in its conversion to an enzyme (ATEEase) having activity on acetyl-L-tyrosine ethyl ester similar to that of chymotrypsin. Continued... 

Zymogens have been considered to be inactive precursors of enzymes and the activation process to involve the generation of a catalytic or substrate binding site or both 44). Recently, Behnke and Vallee (50) found that the spectral properties of cobalt-substituted procarboxypeptidase A closely resemble those of the cobalt enzyme. Since these spectra were believed to be peculiar to enzymatically active proteins (5i), they investigated the intrinsic catalytic activity of the cobalt zymogen. Remarkably, with certain substrates, cobalt procarboxypeptidase was found to have as much activity, and in some cases even more than the native enzyme. These observations, as well as those of others (52), have questioned the entire concept of zymogens as inactive enzyme precursors. 

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