title: A Kazal-type inhibitor of human mast cell tryptase: isolation from the medical leech Hirudo medicinalis, characterization, and sequence analysis.
abstract: Human tryptase, a tetrameric proteinase expressed by mast cells, is virtually unique among the serine proteinases as it is not inhibited by any proteinaceous inhibitor tested so far. We have now isolated, sequenced, and characterized an inhibitor of human tryptase from the medical leech Hirudo medicinalis. LDTI (Leech-Derived Tryptase Inhibitor) was purified to apparent homogeneity by cation exchange and affinity chromatography. Amino acid sequencing of the protein consisting of 46 residues (M(r) 4738) revealed a high degree of similarity to the non-classical Kazal-type inhibitors bdellin B-3 and rhodniin, inhibitors isolated from the medical leech and the insect Rhodnius prolixus, respectively. LDTI is a tight-binding and relatively specific inhibitor of human tryptase; it inhibits only trypsin (EC 3.4.21.4) and chymotrypsin (EC 3.4.21.1) with similar affinities. Inhibition studies using small chromogenic substrates revealed that LDTI inhibits the amidolytic activity of tryptase by approximately 50%, suggesting that most likely due to steric hindrance LDTI binds to and inhibits only 2 of 4 active sites of tryptase. LDTI appears useful as a prototype of inhibitors of human tryptase and as a pharmacological tool for the investigation of the role of tryptase in health and disease.
authors.affiliation: Abteilung für Klinische Chemie und Klinische Biochemie, Klinikum Innenstadt, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, München, Germany.
authors.forename: C P
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Sommerhoff
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Söllner
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mentele
authors.forename: G P
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Piechottka
authors.forename: E A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Auerswald
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Fritz
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D002852:Chromatography, Ion Exchange; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D005612:Freeze Drying; D006801:Humans; D007865:Leeches / Q000378:metabolism*; D008407:Mast Cells / Q000201:enzymology*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D008970:Molecular Weight; D011489:Protein Denaturation; D011506:Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D013379:Substrate Specificity; D014359:Trypsin Inhibitor, Kazal Pancreatic / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D011506:Proteins; C090901:leech-derived tryptase inhibitor C; D014359:Trypsin Inhibitor, Kazal Pancreatic