N-arginine dibasic convertase (NRD convertase): a newcomer to the family of processing endopeptidases. An overview.
N-arginine dibasic convertase (NRD convertase) (accession number L27124) is a metalloendopeptidase from rat brain cortex and testis which cleaves peptide substrates on the N-terminus of arginine residues in basic doublets. Its predicted amino acid sequence contains the putative zinc binding motif HXXEH in a region which exhibits 35% and 48% similarity with E coli protease III (pitrilysin E.C 3.4.99.44) and rat or human insulinase (E.C 3.4.99.45) respectively. This feature clearly classifies this endopeptidase as a member of the pitrilysin family of zinc-metalloproteases. However, the NRD convertase sequence contains a distinctive additional feature consisting of a 71 acidic amino acid stretch. Its substrate selectivity and the characteristic motifs of its amino acid sequence allow us to propose this new metalloendopeptidase as the first member of a new class of processing enzymes.
Chesneau
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Laboratoire de Biochimie des Signaux Régulateurs Cellulaires et Moléculaires, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, URA-CNRS 1682, Paris, France.
Pierotti
A R
AR
Prat
A
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Gaudoux
F
F
Foulon
T
T
Cohen
P
P
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000201:enzymology*; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D004399:Dynorphins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D007700:Kinetics; D008297:Male; D008666:Metalloendopeptidases / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009928:Organ Specificity; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000737:chemistry; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D013004:Somatostatin / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D013379:Substrate Specificity; D013737:Testis / Q000201:enzymology*
D010446:Peptide Fragments; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D013004:Somatostatin; D004399:Dynorphins; D008666:Metalloendopeptidases; C087976:nardilysin