Aaron Janoff

Interactions of human mast cell tryptase with biological protease inhibitors.

Tryptase from human mast cells has been shown (in vitro) to catalyze the destruction of fibrinogen and high-molecular-weight kininogen as well as the activation of C3a and collagenase. Although large amounts of tryptase are released in tissues by degranulating mast cells and levels as high as 1000 ng/ml have been measured in the circulation following systemic anaphylaxis, no specific physiologic inhibitor has yet been found for the protease. The current work tests several more inhibitors for their effects on tryptase and examines any effect of tryptase on these inhibitors. First, antileukoprotease and low-molecular-weight elastase inhibitor from human lung and hirudin and antithrombin III had no effect on tryptase activity in vitro. Second, the possibility that tryptase, being insensitive to the effects of inhibitors, might instead destroy them was also considered. Tryptase failed to cleave and inactivate antileukoprotease, low-molecular-weight elastase inhibitor, alpha 1 protease inhibitor, alpha 2 macroglobulin, and antithrombin III. Third, based on the knowledge that tryptase stability is regulated by its interaction with heparin, antithrombin III was used as a model heparin-binding protein to demonstrate that a protein competitor for heparin-binding sites, presumably by displacement of tryptase, destabilizes this enzyme. Conversely, tryptase, in excess, blocked the binding of antithrombin III to heparin, thereby attenuating the heparin-mediated inhibition of thrombin by antithrombin III.

A rapid method of purification of human granulocyte cationic neutral proteases: purification and further characterization of human granulocyte elastase

Human granulocyte elastase (EC 3.4.21.-) was isolated and purified (yield = 62%, purity = 91-100%) by a new short procedure using affinity chromatography using phenylbutylamine covalently linked to Affi-Gel. The granulocyte elastase was found to have a molecular weight of 34 400 by sodium dodecyl sulphate gel electrophoresis and the molecular weight obtained from the amino acid composition was 34 970. The composition of elastase purified from normal leucocytes showed some significant differences from that of enzyme purified by others from leukemic leucocytes. The granulocyte elastase hydrolysed typical pancreatic elastase substrates like Boc-Ala-ONp and Ac-(Ala)3-Nan. The enzyme was also found to have a weak enzymatic activity in hydrolysing acetyl-L-phenylalanine-alpha-naphthyl ester, a typical chymotrypsin substrate. A monospecific antiserum raised against the purified enzyme gave a single precipitin line with the pure enzyme and also with crude granular extract, both lines being identical.

A rapid method for purification of human granulocyte cationic neutral proteases: purification and characterization of human granulocyte chymotrypsin-like enzyme☆

A chymotrypsin-like enzyme (EC 3.4.21.-) was purified from granules of human neutrophiles (polymorphonuclear leucocytes). The isolation procedure included differential salt extractions of the granules followed by affinity chromatography on 4-phenylbutylamine-Affi-Gel. This rapid purification method resulted in obtaining pure enzyme in relatively high yield in short time. The purified granulocyte chymotrypsin-like enzyme has a minimum Mr of 22 378, calculated from its amino acid composition. The Mr value obtained by sodium dodecyl sulphate gel electrophoresis was 20 000-23 000. The enzyme did not react with antibodies which are monospecific to granulocyte elastase. The granulocyte chymotrypsin-like enzyme was inactivated by Dip-F and by the chloromethyl ketone derivatives Z-PheCH2Cl and Z-(Gly)2-PheCH2Cl but not by Tos-PheCH2Cl. It therefore appears that the enzyme has serine and histidine side chains in its active site, like pancreatic chymotrypsin. The granulocyte enzyme substrate specificity is similar to that of pac-Tyr-Nan and Ac-Phe-1-ONap. It also has an intrinsic weak hydrolytic activity towards some classical elastase substrates such as Boc-Ala-ONp and Ac-DL-Ala-1-ONap. The granulocyte enzyme is inhibited by human serum and by human alpha1-antitrypsin. Its affinity for alpha1-antitrypsin is weaker than that of granulocyte elastase for the same inhibitor. The enzyme is stable at neutral pH at 37 degrees C, but unstable at pH 3.5 and at elevated temperature.

Partial purification and characterization of mouse peritoneal exudative macrophage elastase

Mouse peritoneal exudate macrophage elastase can be significantly purified with 60% recovery of the starting activity by affinity chromatography against SDS-treated alpha-elastin covalently linked to agarose beads. The enzyme has an apparent Mr of 26 500 based on SDS-acrylamide gel electrophoresis. Molecular sieving chromatography on Sephadex gel gives a Mr for macrophage elastase of 21 000--28 000. The enzyme is not inhibited by chloromethyl ketone inactivators specific for pancreatic and leukocyte elastase nor by phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride. Macrophage elastase also does not bind to tritiated diisopropylphosphorofluoridate. The enzyme is inhibited by EDTA and thus appears to be a metallo-protease. Macrophage elastase is resistant to human alpha 1-proteinase inhibitor and to human and mouse alpha 2-macroglobulin. In view of its lack of susceptibility to these endogenous serum proteinase inhibitors, macrophage elastase may play an important role in physiological and pathological remodeling of connective tissues.

Investigations into the Biochemical Mechanisms of Pulmonary Emphysema: Effects of Cigarette Smoke on Enzymes and Anti-Enzymes in the Lung

The mechanism(s) causing emphysema in the cigarette smoker are still poorly understood. However, circumstantial evidence is beginning to provide a tenuous link between smoking and the protease-antiprotease imbalance hypothesis. Independent effects on elastin synthesis may also be important. This triad of chemical and cellular events (leukocyte recruitment, inhibitor inactivation, depressed tissue repair) constitutes a reasonable first approximation from which to approach this complex question.

The role of elastase in the digestion of E. coli proteins by human polymorphonuclear leukocytes. I. Experiments in vitro.

Summary E. coli proteins were labelled by culturing the organisms in the presence of 3H-arginine. Sonicated preparations of bacteria were then incubated with water-soluble extracts of human PMN granules, and the rate of release of labelled peptides into the TCA-soluble phase was determined under different experimental conditions. Release was negligible at pH 3, but occurred at a significant rate at pH 7.6. Release at this pH was inhibited 82% and 94% by preincubation of the granule extract with 0.002 M AAACK or AAPACK respectively. The latter agents are specific, active-site directed, irreversible chloromethyl ketone elastase inhibitors. Granule extract preincubated with 0.002 M TLCK, a chloromethyl ketone trypsin inhibitor, retained full digestive activity against E. coli proteins. These in vitro results suggest that the elastase-like enzymes may contribute significantly to E. coli protein digestion following phagocytosis of this organism, and perhaps of other bacterial species, by human PMN.