An enkephalin degrading aminopeptidase of human brain preserved during the vertebrate phylogeny.
1. A soluble human brain aminopeptidase which hydrolyses the Tyr-Gly bond of Met-enkephalin and Leu-enkephalin was identified in the brains of the following vertebrates: mammals (Callithrix jacchus and Rattus norvegicus), bird (Gallus domesticus), reptile (Tupinambis teguixin), amphibia (Bufo paracnemis), fish (Sarotherdon niloticus) and elasmobranchy (Galeocerdo cuvieri). 2. The properties of this enzyme are: molecular weight near 100,000 Da, isoelectric point near 4.9, optimum pH near 7.5, activation by dithiothreitol, strong inhibition by Cu2+, Zn2+, Ni2+, puromycin and bacitracin, hydrolysis of enkephalins and basic and neutral aminoacid-beta-naphythylamide substrates. 3. The results indicate the preservation of this human brain aminopeptidase during the course of vertebrate phylogeny.
Departamento de Fisiologia e Farmacologia, CCS da Universidade Federal do Ceara, Brazil.
A N
AN
de Souza
J A
JA
Bruno
K M
KM
Carvalho
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000596:Amino Acids / Q000378:metabolism; D000626:Aminopeptidases / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism*; D000663:Amphibians; D000818:Animals; D001717:Birds; D001921:Brain / Q000201:enzymology*; D002144:Callithrix; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D004743:Enkephalin, Leucine / Q000378:metabolism; D004744:Enkephalin, Methionine / Q000378:metabolism; D004745:Enkephalins / Q000378:metabolism*; D005399:Fishes; D006801:Humans; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D006868:Hydrolysis; D007525:Isoelectric Focusing; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009281:Naphthalenes / Q000378:metabolism; D010802:Phylogeny; D051381:Rats; D012104:Reptiles; D014443:Tyrosine / Q000378:metabolism
D000596:Amino Acids; D004745:Enkephalins; D009281:Naphthalenes; C072587:2-naphthylamide; D014443:Tyrosine; D004744:Enkephalin, Methionine; D004743:Enkephalin, Leucine; D000626:Aminopeptidases