title: Identification of a membrane-associated cysteine protease with possible dual roles in the endoplasmic reticulum and protein storage vacuole.
abstract: SH-EP is a vacuolar cysteine proteinase from germinated seeds of Vigna mungo. The enzyme has a C-terminal propeptide of 1 kDa that contains an endoplasmic reticulum (ER) retention signal, KDEL. The KDEL-tail has been suggested to function to store SH-EP as a transient zymogen in the lumen of the ER, and the C-terminal propeptide was thought to be removed within the ER or immediately after exit from the ER. In the present study, a protease that may be involved in the post-translational processing of the C-terminal propeptide of SH-EP was isolated from the microsomes of cotyledons of V. muno seedlings. cDNA sequence for the protease indicated that the enzyme is a member of the papain superfamily. Immunocytochemistry and subcellular fractionation of cotyledon cells suggested that the protease was localized in both the ER and protein storage vacuoles as enzymatically active mature form. In addition, protein fractionations of the cotyledonary microsome and Sf9 cells expressing the recombinant protease indicated that the enzyme associates with the microsomal membrane on the luminal side. The protease was named membrane-associated cysteine protease, MCP. The possibility that a papain-type enzyme, MCP, exists as mature enzyme in both ER and protein storage vacuoles will be discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, Tokyo Metropolitan University, Minami-osawa 1-1, Hachioji, Tokyo, 192-0397 Japan. okamoto-takashsi@c.metro-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Okamoto
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Toyooka
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Minamikawa
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D002460:Cell Line; D002499:Centrifugation, Density Gradient; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D003546:Cysteine Endopeptidases / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism*; D003594:Cytoplasmic Granules / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D004721:Endoplasmic Reticulum / Q000737:chemistry / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure; D007887:Fabaceae / Q000166:cytology / Q000201:enzymology; D006056:Golgi Apparatus / Q000201:enzymology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007425:Intracellular Membranes / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism*; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D008970:Molecular Weight; D009842:Oligopeptides; D010206:Papain / Q000378:metabolism; D010802:Phylogeny; D010946:Plants, Medicinal; D011498:Protein Precursors / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D011499:Protein Processing, Post-Translational; D021382:Protein Sorting Signals; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D014617:Vacuoles / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000648:ultrastructure
chemical_list: D008565:Membrane Proteins; D009842:Oligopeptides; D011498:Protein Precursors; D021382:Protein Sorting Signals; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; C073762:lysyl-aspartyl-glutamyl-leucine; D003546:Cysteine Endopeptidases; D010206:Papain