title: Specific fluorogenic substrates for neprilysin (neutral endopeptidase, EC 3.4.24.11) which are highly resistant to serine- and metalloproteases.
abstract: Two intramolecularly quenched fluorogenic peptides containing o-aminobenzoyl (Abz) and ethylenediamine 2,4-dinitrophenyl (EDDnp) groups at amino- and carboxyl-terminal amino acid residues, Abz-DArg-Arg-Leu-EDDnp (Abz-DRRL-EDDnp) and Abz-DArg-Arg-Phe-EDDnp (Abz-DRRF-EDDnp), were selectively hydrolyzed by neutral endopeptidase (NEP, enkephalinase, neprilysin, EC 3.4.24.11) at the Arg-Leu and Arg-Phe bonds, respectively. The kinetic parameters for the NEP-catalyzed hydrolysis of Abz-DRRL-EDDnp and Abz-DRRF-EDDnp were K(m) = 2.8 microM, kcat = 5.3 min-1, kcat/K(m) = 2 min-1 microM-1 and K(m) = 5.0 microM, kcat = 7.0 min-1, kcat/K(m) = 1.4 min-1 microM-1, respectively. The high specificity of these substrates was demonstrated by their resistance to hydrolysis by metalloproteases [thermolysin (EC 3.4.24.2), angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE; EC 3.4.24.15)], serineproteases [trypsin (EC 3.4.21.4), alpha-chymotrypsin (EC 3.4.21.1)] and proteases present in tissue homogenates from kidney, lung, brain and testis. The blocked amino- and carboxyl-terminal amino acids protected these substrates against the action of aminopeptidases, carboxypeptidases and ACE. Furthermore, DR amino acids ensured total protection of Abz-DRRL-EDDnp and Abz-DRRF-EDDnp against the action of thermolysin and trypsin. Leu-EDDnp and Phe-EDDnp were resistant to hydrolysis by alpha-chymotrypsin. The high specificity of these substrates suggests their use for specific NEP assays in crude enzyme preparations.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Fisiologia e Farmacologia, Universidade Federal do Ceará, Fortaleza, Brasil.
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Medeiros
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: França
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Boileau
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Juliano
authors.forename: K M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Carvalho
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005461:Fluorine / Q000378:metabolism; D008666:Metalloendopeptidases / Q000378:metabolism*; D015260:Neprilysin / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D012697:Serine Endopeptidases / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D005461:Fluorine; D012697:Serine Endopeptidases; D008666:Metalloendopeptidases; D015260:Neprilysin