title: Probing serpin reactive-loop conformations by proteolytic cleavage.
abstract: Several crystal structures of intact members of the serine proteinase inhibitor (or serpin) superfamily have recently been solved but the relationship of their reactive-loop conformations to those of circulating forms remains unclear. Here we examine reactive-loop conformational changes of anti-trypsin and anti-thrombin by using limited proteolysis and binary complex formation with synthetic homologous reactive-loop peptides. Proteolysis at the P10-P9, P8-P7 and P7-P6 of anti-trypsin was distorted by binary complex formation. The P1'-P2' bond in anti-thrombin was more accessible to proteolysis after binary complex formation, whereas cleavage at the P4-P3 bond was variably altered by synthetic peptide insertion. The proteolytic accessibility of the reactive-site P1-P1' bond of anti-trypsin and anti-thrombin binary complexes was identical with that of the native form and no cleavage was observed in the hinge region (P15-P10) of either protein, whether native or as binary complexes. these results fit with the proposal that the hydrophobic reactive loop of serpins adopts a modified helical conformation in the circulation, with the hinge region being partly incorporated into the A beta-pleated sheet. This loop can be displaced by peptides and induced to adopt a new conformation similar to the three-turn helix of ovalbumin. Both the native and binary complexed forms of anti-thrombin showed a greatly increased proteolytic sensitivity in the presence of heparin, indicating that heparin either induces a conformational change in the local structure of the helical reactive loop or facilitates the approximation of enzyme and inhibitor.
authors.affiliation: Department of Haematology, University of Cambridge, U.K.
authors.forename: W S
authors.initials: WS
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: M R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Wardell
authors.forename: D A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Lomas
authors.forename: R W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Carrell
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000990:Antithrombin III / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D006868:Hydrolysis; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D011487:Protein Conformation; D015843:Serpins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D014361:Trypsin Inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D015843:Serpins; D014361:Trypsin Inhibitors; D000990:Antithrombin III