Joanne Stevens

Conversion of angiotensin-1 to angiotensin-2 by a latent endothelial cell peptidyl dipeptidase that is not angiotensin-converting enzyme

Cultured bovine pulmonary artery endothelial cells contain a second peptidyl dipeptidase, distinct from angiotensin-converting enzyme, present in an inactive form associated with a non-dialyzable inhibitor. Partial purification by glycine affinity chromatography separates enzyme from inhibitor to yield a preparation which hydrolyzes angiotensin-1, bradykinin, substance P, atriopeptin-2, enkephalin and Hip-His-Leu. This enzyme is resistant to inhibition by lisinopril, captopril, thiorphan, phosphoramidon, soybean trypsin inhibitor, PMSF and aminopeptidase and carboxypeptidase inhibitors, but is inhibited by EDTA.

Hepatocyte growth factor regulates angiotensin converting enzyme expression.

Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) is a mitogen, morphogen, and motogen that functions in tissue healing and acts as an anti-fibrotic factor. The mechanism for this is not well understood. Recent studies implicate somatic angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) in fibrosis. We examined the effects of HGF on ACE expression in bovine pulmonary artery endothelial cells (BPAEC). Short term treatment of BPAEC with HGF transiently increased both ACE mRNA (3 h) and activity (24 h), as determined by ACE protease assays and reverse transcription-PCR. Incubation of BPAEC with HGF for longer periods suppressed ACE mRNA (6 h) and activity (72 h). In contrast, phorbol ester (PMA) treatment produced sustained increase in ACE mRNA and activity. We examined the short term molecular effects of HGF on ACE using PMA for comparison. HGF and PMA increased transcription from a luciferase reporter with the core ACE promoter, which contains a composite binding site for SP1/3 and Egr-1. Immunocytochemistry and electrophoretic mobility shift assay showed that both HGF and PMA increased Egr-1 binding. HGF also increased SP3 binding, as measured by EMSA. However, HGF and PMA increased the cellular activity of only Egr-1, not SP3, as measured by luciferase reporter assays. Deletion of the Egr-1 site in the reporter construct completely abrogated HGF-induced transcription but only ∼50% of PMA-induced activity. Expression of dominant negative Egr-1 and SP3 blocked up-regulation of the ACE promoter by HGF but only reduced up-regulation by PMA. These results show that HGF transiently increases gene transcription of ACE via activation of Egr-1, whereas PMA regulation involves Egr-1 and additional factor(s).

Human testicular angiotensin-converting enzyme is a mixture of two molecular weight forms. Only one is similar to the seminal plasma enzyme

Two molecular weight (Mr) forms of angiotensin-converting enzyme are present in human testis. Both the high Mr 140,000 form and the low Mr 90,000 form are catalytically similar but immunologically distinct. After isoelectric focusing, the profile of sialylated Mr 140,000 isozymes resembled that of seminal plasma converting enzyme, whereas the nonsialylated Mr 90,000 isozymes were distinct. These data suggest that the Mr 140,000 testicular converting enzyme may be a source of converting enzyme in seminal plasma.

A peptidyl dipeptidase-4 from Pseudomonas maltophilia: Purification and properties ☆

A peptidyl dipeptidase-4 (bacterial PDP-4) was purified to near homogeneity from a supernatant of Pseudomonas maltophilia extracellular medium. Bacterial PDP-4 is a single-polypeptide-chain enzyme, 82 kDa, with an alkaline isoelectric point. Peptides susceptible to hydrolysis by bacterial PDP-4 include angiotensin 1, bradykinin, enkephalins, atriopeptin 2, and smaller synthetic peptides. N-acylated tripeptides are hydrolyzed, but free tripeptides are not. A free carboxy terminus is required for hydrolysis. Peptides with ultimate and penultimate Pro residues are not hydrolyzed. The enzyme does not require an anion for activity. Bacterial PDP-4 was inhibited by EDTA and the dipeptide Phe-Arg. Thiorphan was an inhibitor only at levels well above those required for inhibition of neutral metalloendopeptidase (NEP), an enzyme for which thiorphan is specific. A second NEP and thermolysin inhibitor, phosphoramidon, did not inhibit bacterial PDP-4. The potent angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor lisinopril was not inhibitory. Bacterial PDP-4 is distinguished from a similar enzyme from Escherichia coli, which is not susceptible to EDTA inhibition, and one from Corynebacterium equi, which hydrolyzes free tripeptides. These data indicate that the bacterial PDP-4 catalytic site is unlike those of other enzymes that function either wholly or in part as peptidyl dipeptidases.

A sensitive two-site sandwich enzyme immunoassay for human angiotensin converting enzyme utilizing monoclonal antibodies.

A sensitive enzyme immunoassay was developed for human angiotensin converting enzyme. Monoclonal antibodies specific for two unique converting enzyme epitopes were utilized to develop a two-site sandwich enzyme immunoassay. Alkaline phosphatase conjugated to the detecting antibody hydrolyzes nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADP) to NAD. Subsequently, NAD is cycled between its reduced and oxidized forms by an alcohol dehydrogenase/diaphorase catalyzed redox cycle. Each cycle converts iodonitrotetrazolium violet to a highly colored formazan which is quantitated. With this assay, as little as 94 pg/ml of native converting enzyme is detectable without interference from either therapeutic or endogenous converting enzyme inhibitors.

A competitive quantitative polymerase chain reaction assay for bovine transforming growth factor-B1 mRNA

We have developed a flexible reverse transcription (RT) coupled quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay for transforming growth factor beta-1 (TGF-b) mRNA. A deletion mutant cDNA internal standard was prepared from the wild type cDNA and used to normalize intersample PCR efficiency differences. The assay is compatible with samples from cow and other species. Using RT-PCR, we determined that TGF-b mRNA in bovine pulmonary artery endothelial cells is increased by TGF-b 7.5-fold within 6h and remains 4-fold above baseline after 12h. In addition, unlike TGF-b bioactivity, mRNA levels in endothelial cells are not decreased upon exposure of the cells to either glutathione (reduced or oxidized), cysteine, or N-acetylcysteine for 24h.