Kidney aminopeptidase A and hypertension, part I: spontaneously hypertensive rats. (1/1462)

Tissue and plasma levels of aminopeptidase A (APA), the principal enzyme that hydrolyzes angiotensin II (Ang II) to angiotensin III, were measured in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and their normotensive control strain at 3 different ages corresponding to prehypertensive (4 weeks), developing (8 weeks), and established (16 weeks) phases of hypertension. Plasma APA activity was significantly but modestly elevated in SHR at all 3 ages compared with normotensive Wistar-Kyoto rats. Likewise, levels of APA in brain, heart, and adrenal gland were generally, but again only moderately, elevated in SHR at all ages. However, a large increase in APA activity was seen within the kidney in which APA levels were elevated 41%, 51%, and 68% in SHR at 4, 8, and 16 weeks of age, respectively. Kidney APA levels were also significantly increased in immunoblots from 8- and 16-week-old SHR. Glomeruli isolated from 16-week-old SHR had 57% higher APA activity and increased immunoreactivity compared with Wistar-Kyoto rats. To determine whether the increase in kidney APA activity in SHR was related to Ang II levels, SHR were treated for 2 weeks with the angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor captopril. Captopril treatment reduced blood pressure to normotensive values and resulted in a 25% reduction in kidney APA activity. These results suggest that APA expression in the kidney may be regulated by activity of the renin-angiotensin system. If so, this would further suggest that upregulation of APA during conditions in which Ang II levels were elevated would have a protective effect against Ang II-mediated cardiovascular diseases, whereas a decrease in APA expression or a failure to upregulate would exacerbate such conditions.  (+info)

Kidney aminopeptidase A and hypertension, part II: effects of angiotensin II. (2/1462)

Aminopeptidase A (APA) is the principal enzyme that metabolizes angiotensin II (Ang II) to angiotensin III. Previously, we showed that kidney APA was elevated in spontaneously hypertensive rats and was reduced after angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibition. In the present study, we sought to determine whether kidney APA expression was altered after chronically elevated Ang II, either exogenously delivered via osmotic minipumps or endogenously produced in two-kidney, one clip (2K1C) hypertensive rats. Ang II (200 ng. kg-1. min-1) was infused subcutaneously for 1 or 2 weeks by osmotic minipumps, and 2K1C rats were tested 4 weeks after unilateral renal artery clipping. Blood pressure was not significantly elevated in the Ang II-infused animals but was significantly increased at 3 and 4 weeks in the 2K1C animals. APA was significantly elevated approximately 2-fold in kidney cortical membranes from Ang II-infused animals but was decreased 45% in the clipped kidney and 18% in the nonclipped kidneys from 2K1C animals. Isolated glomeruli from Ang II-infused animals and the nonclipped kidneys from 2K1C animals had markedly higher APA activity and immunoreactivity. Likewise, histochemical and immunohistochemical studies indicated that APA levels were increased in glomeruli from angiotensin-infused animals and in both nonclipped and clipped kidneys from 2K1C animals. In contrast, tubular APA was decreased in tubular elements from 2K1C animals, most markedly in the clipped kidneys. Thus, despite the increase in glomerular APA expression in kidneys from 2K1C animals, the decrease in tubular APA expression is more extensive and accounts for the measured reduction in total APA in cortical homogenates. Because clipped kidneys are not exposed to high blood pressure, these results suggest that glomerular APA expression is positively regulated and tubular APA negatively regulated by Ang II. These results further suggest that changes in kidney APA expression could influence the progression of angiotensin-dependent hypertension.  (+info)

Co-expression of glutathione S-transferase with methionine aminopeptidase: a system of producing enriched N-terminal processed proteins in Escherichia coli. (3/1462)

We describe here an Escherichia coli expression system that produces recombinant proteins enriched in the N-terminal processed form, by using glutathione S-transferase cGSTM1-1 and rGSTT1-1 as models, where c and r refer to chick and rat respectively. Approximately 90% of the cGSTM1-1 or rGSTT1-1 overexpressed in E. coli under the control of a phoA promoter retained the initiator methionine residue that was absent from the mature isoenzymes isolated from tissues. The amount of initiator methionine was decreased to 40% of the expressed cGSTM1-1 when the isoenzyme was co-expressed with an exogenous methionine aminopeptidase gene under the control of a separate phoA promoter. The recombinant proteins expressed were mainly methionine aminopeptidase. The yield of cGSTM1-1 was decreased to 10% of that expressed in the absence of the exogenous methionine aminopeptidase gene. By replacing the phoA with its natural promoter, the expression of methionine aminopeptidase decreased drastically. The yield of the co-expressed cGSTM1-1 was approx. 60% of that in the absence of the exogenous methionine aminopeptidase gene; approx. 65% of the initiator methionine residues were removed from the enzyme. Under similar conditions, N-terminal processing was observed in approx. 70% of the recombinant rGSTT1-1 expressed. By increasing the concentration of phosphate in the growth medium, the amount of initiator methionine on cGSTM1-1 was decreased to 14% of the overexpressed isoenzymes, whereas no further improvement could be observed for rGSTT1-1. The initiator methionine residue does not affect the enzymic activities of either cGSTM1-1 or rGSTT1-1. However, the epoxidase activity and the 4-nitrobenzyl chloride-conjugating activity of the purified recombinant rGSTT1-1 are markedly higher that those reported recently for the same isoenzyme isolated from rat livers.  (+info)

Endothelin stimulates glucose uptake and GLUT4 translocation via activation of endothelin ETA receptor in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. (4/1462)

Endothelin-1 (ET-1) is a 21-amino acid peptide that binds to G-protein-coupled receptors to evoke biological responses. This report studies the effect of ET-1 on regulating glucose transport in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. ET-1, but not angiotensin II, stimulated glucose uptake in a dose-dependent manner with an EC50 value of 0.29 nM and a 2.47-fold stimulation at 100 nM. ET-1 stimulated glucose uptake in differentiated 3T3-L1 cells but had no effect in undifferentiated cells, although ET-1 stimulated phosphatidylinositol hydrolysis to a similar degree in both. The 3T3-L1 cells expressed approximately 560,000 sites/cell of ETA receptor, which was not altered during differentiation. Western blot analysis and immunofluorescence staining show that ET-1 stimulated the translocation of insulin-responsive aminopeptidase and GLUT4 to the plasma membrane. The effect of ET-1 on glucose uptake was blocked by A-216546, an antagonist selective for the ETA receptor. ET-1 treatment did not induce phosphorylation of insulin receptor beta-subunit, insulin receptor substrate-1, or Akt but stimulated the tyrosyl phosphorylation of a 75-kDa protein. Genistein (100 microM), an inhibitor of tyrosine kinases, inhibited ET-1-stimulated glucose uptake. Our results show that ET-1 stimulates GLUT4 translocation and glucose uptake in 3T3-L1 adipocytes via activation of ETA receptor.  (+info)

Identification of kallidin degrading enzymes in the isolated perfused rat heart. (5/1462)

Kallidin (KD) is an important vasoactive kinin whose physiological effects are strongly dependent on its degradation through local kininases. In the present study, we examined the spectrum of these enzymes and their contribution to KD degradation in isolated perfused rat hearts. By inhibiting angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE), aminopeptidase M (APM) and neutral endopeptidase (NEP) with ramiprilat (0.25 microM), amastatin (40 microM) and phosphoramidon (1 microM), respectively, relative kininase activities were obtained. APM (44%) and ACE (35%) are the main KD degrading enzymes in rat heart; NEP (7%) plays a minor role. A participation of carboxypeptidase N (CPN) could not be found.  (+info)

Hydrolysis of alphas1- and beta-casein-derived peptides with a broad specificity aminopeptidase and proline specific aminopeptidases from Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris AM2. (6/1462)

Aminopeptidase hydrolysis of alpha(s)1 - and beta-casein-derived synthetic peptides containing non-consecutive and consecutive proline residues was characterised. Aminopeptidase P (Pep P) (EC 3.4.11.9) or post-proline dipeptidyl aminopeptidase (PPDA) (EC 3.4.14.5) along with lysine-paranitroanilide hydrolase (KpNA-H) (EC 3.4.11.1) activities are required in the degradation of peptides containing non-consecutive proline residues. However, both Pep P and PPDA along with KpNA-H are required for hydrolysis of peptides containing consecutive proline residues. The results demonstrate the mechanism by which combinations of purified general and proline specific aminopeptidases from Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris AM2 hydrolyse peptides containing proline residues.  (+info)

Cloning and functional expression of the cytoplasmic form of rat aminopeptidase P. (7/1462)

A rat cytoplasmic aminopeptidase P was purified from liver cytosol with a procedure including an affinity elution step with 3 microM inositol 1,3,4-trisphosphate. Proteolytic fragments were generated, sequenced and the enzyme was cloned from a rat liver cDNA library. The structure shows high (87.8% and 95.5%, respectively) sequence identity at the nucleotide and amino acid levels with the previously described human putative cytoplasmic aminopeptidase P. The cloned rat enzyme was functionally expressed in Escherichia coli and also in COS-1 cells. Western blot analysis, using an antibody generated against the recombinant protein, and Northern blot hybridization showed ubiquitous expression of the protein in different tissues with the highest expression level in the testis.  (+info)

Ligand recognition and domain structure of Vps10p, a vacuolar protein sorting receptor in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. (8/1462)

Vp10p is a receptor that sorts several different vacuolar proteins by cycling between a late Golgi compartment and the endosome. The cytoplasmic tail of Vps10p is necessary for the recycling, whereas the lumenal domain is predicted to interact with the soluble ligands. We have studied ligand binding to Vps10p by introducing deletions in the lumenal region. This region contains two domains with homology to each other. Domain 2 binds carboxypeptidase Y (CPY), proteinase A (PrA) and hybrids of these proteases with invertase. Moreover, we show that aminopeptidase Y (APY) is a ligand of Vps10p. The native proteases compete for binding to domain 2. Binding of CPY(156)-invertase or PrA(137)-invertase, on the other hand, do not interfere with binding of CPY to Vps10p. Furthermore, the Q24RPL27 sequence known to be important for vacuolar sorting of CPY, is of little importance in the Vps10p-dependent sorting of CPY-invertase. Apparently, domain 2 contains two different binding sites; one for APY, CPY and PrA, and one for CPY-invertase and PrA-invertase. The latter interaction seems not to be sequence specific, and we suggest that an unfolded structure in these ligands is recognized by Vps10p.  (+info)

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