title: Nitric oxide inhibits cruzipain, the major papain-like cysteine proteinase from Trypanosoma cruzi.
abstract: Nitric oxide (NO) is a pluripotent regulatory molecule showing, among others, an antiparasitic activity. Moreover, NO inhibits cysteine proteinase action by nitrosylating the Cys catalytic residue. In the present study, the inhibitory effect of the substrate N-alpha-benzyloxycarbonyl-L-phenylalanyl-L-arginine-(7-amino-4-methyl coumarin) and of NO on the catalytic activity of cruzipain, the major papain-like cysteine proteinase from Trypanosoma cruzi (the hemoflagellate protozoan parasite which causes the American trypanosomiasis), is reported. In particular, NO-donors S-nitroso-glutathione (GSNO), (+/-)-(E)-4-ethyl-2-[(E)-hydroxyimino]-5-nitro-3-hexenamide (NOR-3), 3-morpholinosydnonimine (SIN-1), S-nitroso-acetyl-penicillamine (SNAP), and sodium nitroprusside (SNP) dose-dependently inhibited cruzipain, this effect being likely attributable to the S-nitrosylation of the Cys25 catalytic residue. These results were analyzed in parallel with those concerning the inhibitory effect of the substrate and of NO on the catalytic activity of falcipain, the cruzipain-homologous cysteine proteinase from Plasmodium falciparum. The modulation of the cruzipain and falcipain activity by NO may be relevant in developing new strategies against T. cruzi and P. falciparum in human host. As a whole, the NO-mediated S-nitrosylation of pathogenic viral, bacterial, fungal, and parasitic cysteine proteinases may represent a general mechanism of antimicrobial and antiparasitic host defences.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Biologia, Università 'Roma Tre', Viale Guglielmo Marconi 446, Rome, I-00146, Italy.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Venturini
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Salvati
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Muolo
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Colasanti
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gradoni
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ascenzi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002384:Catalysis; D003546:Cysteine Endopeptidases / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D015853:Cysteine Proteinase Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006801:Humans; D007700:Kinetics; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010206:Papain / Q000378:metabolism; D015800:Protozoan Proteins; D014349:Trypanosoma cruzi / Q000201:enzymology*
chemical_list: D015853:Cysteine Proteinase Inhibitors; D015800:Protozoan Proteins; D009569:Nitric Oxide; D003546:Cysteine Endopeptidases; D010206:Papain; C063214:cruzipain