Characterization of Rarobacter faecitabidus Protease I, a Yeast-Lytic Serine Protease Having Mannose-Binding Activity

• Published in: Journal of biochemistry (Tokyo) Vol. 110; no. 4; pp. 608 - 613
• Main Authors: Shimoi, Hitoshi, Tadenuma, Makoto
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Oxford University Press 01.10.1991
• Subjects: Actinomycetales - enzymology; activity; Amino Acid Sequence; Analytical, structural and metabolic biochemistry; beta-Glucosidase - metabolism; Biological and medical sciences; characterization; Chromatography, Affinity; Enzymes and enzyme inhibitors; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Hydrolases; Mannose - metabolism; Molecular Sequence Data; Monosaccharides - pharmacology; Pancreatic Elastase - metabolism; Protein Binding; Rarobacter faecitabidus; Rarobacter proteinase I; Saccharomyces cerevisiae; Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid; Serine Endopeptidases - genetics; Serine Endopeptidases - isolation & purification; Serine Endopeptidases - metabolism; substrate specificity; Enzymatic activity; Enzyme; Proteinase; Substrate specificity; Coryneforms; Bacteria; Kinetic parameter
• ISSN: 0021-924X; 1756-2651
• DOI: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.jbchem.a123628

Rarobacter faecitabidus protease I, a yeast-lytic serine protease, was characterized in order to elucidate the mechanism of lysis of yeast cells by this enzyme. The N-terminal amino acid sequence of the enzyme was found to be homologous to those of Lysobacter enzymogenes α-lytic protease and Streptomyces griseus proteases A and B around the catalytic His residue, showing that it is a mammalian type serine protease. In a study of its substrate specificity, it preferentially hydrolyzed the ester of alanine among amino acid ρ-nitrophenylesters. It also efficiently hydrolyzed succinyl Ala-Pro-Ala p-nitroanilide, the specific synthetic substrate for pancreatic elastase. With oxidized insulin B-chain, it hydrolyzed almost exclusively the pep tide bond between valine 18 and cysteic acid 19 in the early step of the reaction, and thereafter it partially hydrolyzed Vall2-Glul3, Alal4-Leul5, and Leul5-Tyrl6. These results indicate that Rarobacter protease I is elastase-like in its substrate specificity, preferentially hydrolyzing the peptide bond of aliphatic amino acids. Its affinity for yeast cells was also investigated, and while Rarobacter protease I was adsorbed by yeast cells, pancreatic elastase was not. This difference was thought to account for the failure of pancreatic elastase to lyse yeast cells, even though its specificity is similar to that of the yeast-lytic enzyme. Rarobacter protease I was adsorbed by a mannose-agarose column and specifically eluted from the column with a buffer containing D-mannose or D-glucose. These monosaccharides also inhibited its yeast-lytic activity. These results indicate that Rarobacter protease I binds to mannan on the yeast cell surface in a lectin-like manner. We believe that the elastase-like substrate specificity and the affinity for mannose are the essential characteristics of the yeast-lytic protease.