title: Squash trypsin inhibitors from Momordica cochinchinensis exhibit an atypical macrocyclic structure.
abstract: Three trypsin inhibitors (TIs), from the seeds of the squash Momordica cochinchinensis (MCo), have been isolated and purified using gel filtration, ion exchange chromatography, and reverse-phase HPLC. Their sequences could be determined only after proteolytic cleavages. In the case of MCoTI-I and -II, it was shown that their polypeptide backbones are cyclic, a structure that has never been described in squash TIs. They contain 34 amino acid residues with 3 disulfide bridges and measured molecular masses of 3453.0 and 3480.7, respectively. They are the largest known macrocyclic peptides containing disulfide bridges. Their sequences show strong homology to other squash TIs, suggesting a similar three-dimensional structure and an analogous mechanism of action. A model of MCoTI-II was constructed by analogy to the crystal structure of the complex between bovine trypsin and CMTI-I, indicating that the linker connecting the two termini is flexible and does not impose significant geometrical constraints. This flexibility allows an Asp-Gly peptide bond rearrangement to occur in this region, giving rise to two isoforms of MCoTI-II. Although the importance of cyclization is not clear, it might confer increased stability and resistance to proteolysis. A minor species, MCoTI-III, was also characterized as containing 30 amino acid residues with a molecular mass of 3379.6. This component possesses a linear backbone with a blocked N-terminus. MCoTIs represent interesting candidates for drug design, either by changing their specificity of inhibition or by using their structure as natural scaffolds bearing new binding activities.
authors.affiliation: Institut de Biologie Structurale Jean-Pierre Ebel (CEA-CNRS), 41, rue Jules Horowitz, 38027 Grenoble Cedex 1, France.
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Hernandez
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gagnon
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Chiche
authors.forename: T M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Nguyen
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Andrieu
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Heitz
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Trinh Hong
authors.forename: T T
authors.initials: TT
authors.lastname: Pham
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Le Nguyen
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D019662:Cucurbitaceae / Q000201:enzymology*; D047169:Cyclotides; D006868:Hydrolysis; D008666:Metalloendopeptidases / Q000378:metabolism; D008958:Models, Molecular; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D008970:Molecular Weight; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism; D010456:Peptides, Cyclic / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism; D012639:Seeds / Q000201:enzymology; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D013056:Spectrophotometry, Ultraviolet; D014361:Trypsin Inhibitors / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D047169:Cyclotides; C409922:MCoTI-I protein, Momordica cochinchinensis; C409924:MCoTI-III protein, Momordica cochinchinensis; D010446:Peptide Fragments; D010456:Peptides, Cyclic; D010940:Plant Proteins; D014361:Trypsin Inhibitors; C409923:trypsin inhibitor MCoTI-II; D008666:Metalloendopeptidases; C039830:peptidyl-Lys metalloendopeptidase