Proteinases distribution

Konarev AV, Anisimova IN, Gavrilova VA, et al. Serine proteinase inhibitors in the Compositae distribution, polymorphism and properties. Phytochemistry 2002 59 279-291. 

Trypsin inhibitors in cucumber were first found in a study by Walker-Simmons et /. " after wounding of leaves and treatment with proteinase inhibitor-inducing factor (PIIF). The amino acid sequence of two inhibitors isolated from Cucurhita maxima (winter squash) were determined by Wilusz et at The peptides named ITD I and ITD 111 each comprised a 29-residue sequence with six cysteine residues. The only difference between the two peptides is in position 9, which is lysine in ITD I and glutamic acid in ITD III. The reactive site is located at the peptide bond between Arg5 and Ile6. Owing to their discovery and distribution in Cucurbitaceae the inhibitor family has been named squash inhibitors. Since the initial discoveries many other members of the squash family have been found. 

Transition state analogues are essentially stable molecules which resemble, in geometry and in charge distribution, metastable intermediates of the enzymic reaction. The actual transition state of the reaction will be close in structure to the metastable intermediate, and will quite likely vary slightly between different substrates accepted by the same enzyme. There will not be a unique transition state for all transformations catalysed by one particular enzyme, neither of course will there be a unique transition state for different enzymes catalysing the hydrolysis of peptide links in a protein. There will nevertheless be some similarities in mechanism, and so structures containing a tetrahedral centre have been designed to inhibit a variety of proteinases, where a tetrahedral intermediate is always presumed. Differences exist in the pathway to, and breakdown of, the tetrahedral intermediate, and its stabilization, between thiol and serine proteinases, zinc proteinases, and aspartic proteinases. 

McKay, L. L. and Baldwin, K. A. 1975. Plasmid distribution and evidence for a proteinase plasmid in Streptococcus lactis C2. Appl. Microbiol. 29, 546-548. 

Nick, R.C. Thompson, S.P. Eisenberg, and H. Schnebli. 1990. Pharmacokinetics and distribution of recombinant secretory leukocyte proteinase inhibitor in rats. Am. Rev. Respir. Dis. 141 889-894. 

Katunuma N, Kominami E (1987) Distributions and localizations of lysosomal cysteine proteinases and cystains. Rev Physiol Biochem Pharmacol 108 1-20... 

C-Methyl-/3-Casein. 14C-Labeled proteins prepared by reductive methylation have potential as substrates in the study of proteolytic enzymes. A serious limitation is that complete methylation of lysine residues results in inhibition of proteolysis by enzymes with trypsin-like specificity (13). It was interesting to determine whether this problem could be overcome by incomplete methylation which left unaltered most of the lysine residues in more or less random distribution throughout the protein. /3-Casein was selected as a suitable protein for this study since it is cleaved by trypsin-like enzymes to well characterized fragments, the y-caseins, in addition to less well characterized fragments, the proteose peptones. We anticipated that this type of study could provide a basis for a general investigation of milk protein transformation by the native milk proteinase which has a specificity similar to trypsin (14). 

A more uneven distribution of starter cell proteinase/peptidase activity in reduced-fat cheese and possible restricted access of substrates (polypeptides/peptides released by the action of coagulant, etc.) to enzymes... 

The ubiquitous occurrence of proteinases is accompanied by a similar distribution of fairly specific proteins that inhibit these enzymes. In normal health, there is a delicate balance between the levels of enzymes and their macromolecular inhibitors. This balance is particularly important in the blood-clotting clot-lysis scheme. Since the total volume of blood in the adult human body is only about 5 1, a massive response is required in the event of an injury that results in a rapid haemorrhage. Some positive feedback is present in the blood-clotting mechanism in order to achieve this rapid response, but clearly this must be sensitively controlled by endogenous inhibitors if a thrombosis is not to occur. 

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