Steady-state kinetics of plasmin- and trypsin-catalysed hydrolysis of a number of tripeptide-p-nitroanilides.

The steady-state kinetics of plasmin- (EC 3.4.21.7) and trypsin-catalysed (EC 3.4.21.4) hydrolysis of Bz-L-Phe-Val-Arg-pNA, Bz-D-Phe-Val-Arg-pNA, L-Phe-Val-Arg-pNA, D-Phe-Val-Arg-pNA and D-Val-Leu-Lys-pNA were investigated in the pH range 6-9. The pH dependences of the kinetic parameters correspond with the effects of catalytically essential ionizations in the enzymes, except for reactions with L- and D-Phe-Val-Arg-pNA, in which protonation of the NH2-terminal alpha-amino groups (pK = 7.0) shows some inhibitory effect. The reactions of plasmin and trypsin with p-nitroanilides show kc values similar to those normally found with specific ester substrates, indicating that the deacylation steps of the reactions are rate determining.

Kinetic studies of urokinase-catalysed hydrolysis of 5-oxo-L-prolylglycyl-L-arginine 4-nitroanilide.

The enzymic properties of urokinase (EC 3.4.21.31) were studied. The kinetic parameters of hydrolysis of 5-oxo-Pro-Gly-Arg-NA were determined in the pH range 5-9, at 25 degrees C and 37 degrees C. The reaction is affected by only one ionizing group of urokinase with pK 7.15 (25 degrees C) and pK 6.82 (37 degrees C). The results indicate that 5-oxo-Pro-Gly-Arg-NA is a good model substrate for studies of the conversion of plasminogen to plasmin. The Km values of the urokinase-catalysed hydrolysis of plasminogen and 5-oxo-Pro-Gly-Arg-NA are of the same order of magnitude. Plasmin catalyses the hydrolysis of 5-oxo-Pro-Gly-Arg-NA, but the Km value is several hundred times that of urokinase. Urokinase is shown not to react with good plasmin substrates, such as Bz-Arg-OEt and D-Val-Leu-Lys-NA, but is linearly competitively inhibited by 6-amino-hexanoic acid and trans-4-aminomethylcyclohexane-1-carboxylic acid.