Protein Zymogens

Additional protein constituents of the intrinsic cascade include prekallikrein, an 88 kDa protein zymogen of the protease kallikrein, and high molecular mass kininogen, a 150 kDa plasma glycoprotein that serves as an accessory factor. 

Another interesting aspect in the study of protein folding is the comparison between precursors and functional proteins, zymogens and enzymes. It has been often proposed that spontaneous refolding occurs in precursors and not in proteins after the proteolytic cleavage has activated the precursor. We have already discussed this aspect in Chapter 5. Certainly it depends upon the molecule. The case of proinsulin and insulin is not very representative, since a great part of the molecule is removed upon activation. 

Protein G. This vitamin K-dependent glycoproteia serine protease zymogen is produced ia the Hver. It is an anticoagulant with species specificity (19—21). Proteia C is activated to Proteia by thrombomodulin, a proteia that resides on the surface of endothefial cells, plus thrombin ia the presence of calcium. In its active form, Proteia selectively iaactivates, by proteolytic degradation. Factors V, Va, VIII, and Villa. In this reaction the efficiency of Proteia is enhanced by complex formation with free Proteia S. la additioa, Proteia activates tissue plasminogen activator, which... 

Specialized controls Enzyme regulation is an important matter to cells, and evolution has provided a variety of additional options, including zymogens, isozymes, and modulator proteins. 

The enzymatic activity of these potentially harmful enzymes is tightly controlled. Once transcribed into protein, MMPs are expressed as inactive zymogens and require distinct activation processes to convert them into active enzymes. After secretion, MMP-activity is regulated by the noncovalent binding of tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases ( TIMPs) as shown in Fig. 2 for MMP-2 and TIMP-2. Four TIMPs have been identified so far TIMP-1, TIMP-2, TIMP-3, and TIMP-4. All known MMPs can be inhibited by at least one of the four known TIMPs. Nevertheless, individual differences with regard to bond strength and thus the magnitude of inhibition of a particular MMP do exist. 

Zymogen is a precursor protein that is converted to an active protease when one or more of its peptide bonds are cleaved. Zymogens involved in coagulation include factors II (prothrombin), VII, IX, X, and XI. 

The matrix metalloprotease (MMP) family of zinc hydrolases are thought to play important roles in extracellular tissue remodeling in angiogenesis and other normal physiological processes, in some inflammatory processes and in metastatic processes in cancer. Like the zinc carboxypeptidases, the MMPs also utilize a zinc-coordinated water molecule to initiate attack on the scissile amide bond of protein substrates. These enzymes are synthesized by the ribosome in a latent form composed of a catalytic domain and an N-terminal extension, referred to as the prodomain the latent, or inactive form of the enzyme is referred to as a zymogen or... 

Activity-based protein profiling (ABPP) is a chemical proteomic strategy in which active-site-directed covalent probes are used to profile the functional states of enzymes in complex proteomes. Activity-based probes (ABPs) can distinguish active enzymes from their inactive zymogens or inhibitor-bound forms. They contain a reactive group intended to modify enzyme active sites covalently and a reporter group (typically rhodamine or biotin) that assists in detection and identification of protein targets. 

Protein C A vitamin-K dependent zymogen present in the blood, which, upon activation by thrombin and thrombomodulin exerts anticoagulant properties by inactivating factors Va and Villa at the rate-limiting steps of thrombin formation. [NIH]... 

Both HFC and HNC are endopeptidases that contain one Zn(II) atom located at the active site (Springman, E., Birkedal-Hansen, H. and Van Wart, H.E., unpublished observations) and require Ca(II) for stability [84]. The protein chains of both are very similar in their sequence and construction. The HFC and HNC preproenzymes consist of 468 and 467 amino acids, of which the first 18 and 20, respectively, represent the signal peptides [27,29,30]. Thus, the zymogens pro-HFC and pro-HNC consist of 450 and... 

Enzyme Zymogen molecular weight Collagenase activity (K,IK X 7, M- min ) Protein substrates Human cells producing enzyme Reference to sequence... 

Normally, thrombin is present in the blood as an inactive proenzyme (see p. 270). Prothrombin is activated in two different ways, both of which represent cascades of enzymatic reactions in which inactive proenzymes (zymogens, symbol circle) are proteolytically converted into active proteinases (symbol sector of a circle). The proteinases activate the next proenzyme in turn, and so on. Several steps in the cascade require additional protein factors (factors 111, Va and Villa) as well as anionic phospholipids (PL see below) and Ca "" ions. Both pathways are activated by injuries to the vessel wall. 

Many proteins are formed as inactive precursors and become activated by proteolysis. The inactive precursors are termed proenzymes, zymogens or - for hormones like e.g. insulin - prehormones. Processing to the active form occius in a cell- and tissue-specific way and usually requires a specific protease. Activation can also occur intramolecu-larly by autoproteolysis. In most cases, short sequences of the protease substrate serve as a recognition signal for the attack of the processing protease. Of the numerous examples of proteolytic processing of proteases only the digestive proteases will be discussed in more detail. 

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