title: In vitro activity of pacifastin-like inhibitors in relation to their structural characteristics.
abstract: Information on the structural characteristics and inhibitory activity of the pacifastin family is restricted to a handful of locust pacifastin-related inhibitors. In this report the optimization of a bacterial recombinant expression system is described, resulting in the high yield production of pacifastin-like inhibitors of the desert locust. Subsequently, the relative inhibitory activity of these peptides towards mammalian, locust and caterpillar digestive peptidases has been compared. In general, the enzyme specificity of locust pacifastin-like inhibitors towards trypsin- or chymotrypsin-like peptidases corresponds to the nature of the P1-residue at the reactive site. In addition, other structural characteristics, including specific core interactions, have been reported to result in a different affinity of pacifastin members towards digestive trypsin-like enzymes from mammals and arthropods. One remarkable observation in this study is a specifically designed pacifastin-like peptidase inhibitor, which, unlike other inhibitors of the same family, does not display this specificity and selectivity towards digestive enzymes from different animals.
authors: Department of Animal Physiology and Neurobiology, Zoological Institute K.U.Leuven, Naamsestraat 59, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium. Bert.Breugelmans@bio.kuleuven.be
authors: Bert
authors: B
authors: Breugelmans
authors: Vincent
authors: V
authors: van Hoef
authors: Gert
authors: G
authors: Simonet
authors: Sofie
authors: S
authors: Van Soest
authors: Guy
authors: G
authors: Smagghe
authors: Jozef
authors: J
authors: Vanden Broeck
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D006110:Grasshoppers / Q000378:metabolism*; D010455:Peptides / Q000737:chemistry*; D011480:Protease Inhibitors / Q000737:chemistry*; D011506:Proteins / Q000737:chemistry*; D013379:Substrate Specificity
chemical_list: D010455:Peptides; D011480:Protease Inhibitors; D011506:Proteins; C106709:pacifastin