Structure of the recombinant BPTI/Kunitz-type inhibitor rShPI-1A from the marine invertebrate Stichodactyla helianthus.

The BPTI/Kunitz-type inhibitor family includes several extremely potent serine protease inhibitors. To date, the inhibitory mechanisms have only been studied for mammalian inhibitors. Here, the first crystal structure of a BPTI/Kunitz-type inhibitor from a marine invertebrate (rShPI-1A) is reported to 2.5 Šresolution. Crystallization of recombinant rShPI-1A required the salt-induced dissociation of a trypsin complex that was previously formed to avoid intrinsic inhibitor aggregates in solution. The rShPI-1A structure is similar to the NMR structure of the molecule purified from the natural source, but allowed the assignment of disulfide-bridge chiralities and the detection of an internal stabilizing water network. A structural comparison with other BPTI/Kunitz-type canonical inhibitors revealed unusual ϕ angles at positions 17 and 30 to be a particular characteristic of the family. A significant clustering of ϕ and ψ angle values in the glycine-rich remote fragment near the secondary binding loop was additionally identified, but its impact on the specificity of rShPI-1A and similar molecules requires further study.

Effect of divalent cations on the porcine kidney cortex membrane-bound form of dipeptidyl peptidase IV.

Dipeptidyl peptidase IV is an ectopeptidase with multiple physiological roles including the degradation of incretins, and a target of therapies for type 2 diabetes mellitus. Divalent cations can inhibit its activity, but there has been little effort to understand how they act. The intact membrane-bound form of porcine kidney dipeptidyl peptidase IV was purified by a simple and fast procedure. The purified enzyme hydrolyzed Gly-Pro-p-nitroanilide with an average V(max) of 1.397±0.003 µmol min(-1) mL(-1), k(cat) of 145.0±1.2 s(-1), K(M) of 0.138±0.005 mM and k(cat)/K(M) of 1050 mM(-1) s(-1). The enzyme was inhibited by bacitracin, tosyl-L-lysine chloromethyl ketone, and by the dipeptidyl peptidase IV family inhibitor L-threo-Ile-thiazolidide (K(i) 70 nM). The enzyme was inhibited by the divalent ions Ca(2+), Co(2+), Cd(2+), Hg(2+) and Zn(2+), following kinetic mechanisms of mixed inhibition, with K(i) values of 2.04×10(-1), 2.28×10(-2), 4.21×10(-4), 8.00×10(-5) and 2.95×10(-5) M, respectively. According to bioinformatic tools, Ca(2+) ions preferentially bound to the ß-propeller domain of the porcine enzyme, while Zn(2+) ions to the α-ß hydrolase domain; the binding sites were strikingly conserved in the human enzyme and other homologues. The functional characterization indicates that porcine and human homologues have very similar functional properties. Knowledge about the mechanisms of action of divalent cations may facilitate the design of new inhibitors.