The Modified Heparin-Binding L-Asparaginase of Wolinella succinogenes.

The modified asparaginase Was79 was derived from the recombinant wild-type L-asparaginase of Wolinella succinogenes. The Was79 contains the amino acid substitutions V23Q and K24T responsible for the resistance to trypsinolysis and the N-terminal heparin-binding peptide KRKKKGKGLGKKR responsible for the binding to heparin and tumor K562 cells in vitro. When tested on a mouse model of Fischer lymphadenosis L5178Y, therapeutic efficacy of Was79 was significantly higher than that of reference enzymes at all single therapeutic doses used (125-8000 IU/kg). At Was79 single doses of 500-8000 IU/kg, the complete remission rate of 100 % was observed. The Was79 variant can be expressed intracellularly in E. coli as a less immunogenic formyl-methionine-free form at high per cell production levels.

A new acylamidase from Rhodococcus erythropolis TA37 can hydrolyze N-substituted amides.

A new acylamidase was isolated from Rhodococcus erythropolis TA37 and characterized. N-Substituted acrylamides (isopropyl acrylamide, N,N-dimethyl-aminopropyl acrylamide, and methylene-bis-acrylamide), acid para-nitroanilides (4'-nitroacetanilide, Gly-pNA, Ala-pNA, Leu-pNA), and N-acetyl derivatives of glycine, alanine, and leucine are good substrates for this enzyme. Aliphatic amides (acetamide, acrylamide, isobutyramide, n-butyramide, and valeramide) are also used as substrates but with less efficiency. The enzyme subunit mass by SDS-PAGE is 55 kDa. Maximal activity is exhibited at pH 7-8 and 55°C. The enzyme is stable for 15 h at 22°C and for 0.5 h at 45°C. The Michaelis constant (K(m)) is 0.25 mM with Gly-pNA and 0.55 mM with Ala-pNA. The acylamidase activity is suppressed by inhibitors of serine proteases (phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride and diisopropyl fluorophosphate) but is not suppressed by inhibitors of aliphatic amidases (acetaldehyde and nitrophenyl disulfides). The N-terminal amino acid sequence of the acylamidase is highly homologous to those of two putative amidases detected from sequenced R. erythropolis genomes. It is suggested that the acylamidase together with the detected homologs forms a new class within the amidase signature family.

Thiol-dependent serine proteinase from Paecilomyces lilacinus: purification and catalytic properties.

An extracellular thiol-dependent serine proteinase was isolated from culture medium filtrate of the microscopic fungus Paecilomyces lilacinus with a yield of 33%. The enzyme is inactivated by specific inhibitors of serine proteinases, phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride, as well as by chloromercuribenzoate and mercury acetate, but is resistant to chelating agents. The proteinase has broad specificity, hydrolyzes proteins and p-nitroanilides of N-acylated tripeptides, exhibiting maximal activity in hydrolysis of substrates containing long hydrophobic and aromatic residues (norleucine, leucine, phenylalanine) as well as arginine at the P1 position. The enzyme has a molecular weight of 33 kD. The enzyme is most active at pH 10.0-11.5; it is thermostable and is characterized by broad optimum temperature range (30-60 degrees C), displaying about 25% of maximal activity at 0 degrees C. The N-terminal sequence of the enzyme (Gly-Ala-Thr-Thr-Gln-Gly-Ala-Thr-Gly/Ile-Xxx-Gly) has no distinct homology with known primary structures of serine proteinases from fungi and bacilli. Based on its physicochemical and enzymatic properties, the serine proteinase from P. lilacinus can be classified as a thiol-dependent subtilisin-like enzyme.

[Cloning the amidase gene from Rhodococcus rhodochrous M18 and its expression in Escherichia coli].

The amidase gene from Rhodococcus rhodochrous M18 was cloned by PCR amplification with primers developed by use of peptide amino acid sequences obtained after treating amidase with trypsin. Nucleotide sequence analysis of this gene revealed high homology with aliphatic amidases from R. erythropolis R312 and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Considering the substrate specificity and the results of DNA analysis, amidase from R. rhodochrous M8 was assigned to the group of aliphatic amidases preferentially hydrolyzing short-chain aliphatic amides. The amidase gene was expressed in cells of Escherichia coli from the self promoter and from the lac promoter. To clone a fragment of R. rhodochrous M8 chromosome (approximately 9 kb), containing the entire structural gene and its flanking regions, plasmid pRY1 that can be integrated into the chromosome via homology regions was used. No sequences of the nitrile hydratase gene, the second key gene of nitrile degradation in strain R. rhodochrous M8, were detected. Thus, genes encoding amidase and nitrile hydratase in strain R. rhodochrous M8 are not organized into a single operon despite their common regulation.

[Effect of RGD-containing peptides on platelet aggregation].

The influence of new synthetic peptides ARGDS-NH2 and RGD-dFK (synthesized by the fermentative method) and VPNLRGDLQVLA (a fragment of the foot-and-mouth virus's surface peptide) on the ADP-induced human platelet aggregation in vitro was studied. All peptides were found to inhibit the human platelet aggregation, but the synthetic peptides (ARGDS-NH2 and RGD-dFK) showed the most pronounced effect. Significant decrease in the platelet aggregation was observed at their concentrations within 0.1-10 mM. ARGDS-NH2 and RGD-dFK inhibited the platelet aggregation stronger than the reference drug pentoxifylline at equivalent concentrations.

Isolation and primary characterization of an amidase from Rhodococcus rhodochrous.

Amidase (EC 3.5.1.4) was purified to homogeneity from Rhodococcus rhodochrous M8 using isopropanol fractionation and exchange chromatography on Mono Q. The isolated amidase consists of four identical subunits with molecular weight 42+/-2 kD. The activity of the enzyme is maximal at 55-60 degrees C and within the pH range 5-8. The amidase from R. rhodochrous M8 is highly sensitive to such sulfhydryl reagents as Hg2+ and Cu2+. Chelators (EDTA and o-phenanthroline) and serine proteinase inhibitors (PMSF and DIFP) did not inhibit the activity of the enzyme. The enzyme exhibits hydrolytic and acyl transferase activity and does not possess urease activity. Aliphatic amides (acetamide and propionamide) were the best substrates for the amidase from R. rhodochrous M8, whereas bulky aromatic amides were poor substrates of this enzyme. The properties of the isolated enzyme are similar to those found in the corresponding amidase from Arthrobacter sp. J-1 and an amidase with wide substrate specificity from Brevibacterium sp. R312.

[Formation of dipeptides--a side reaction in racemization of phenylalanine]. / Obrazovanie dipeptidov--pobochnaia reaktsiia pri ratsemizatsii fenilalanina.

It was shown that acetylated dipeptides, Ac-D-Phe-D-Phe-OH, Ac-L-Phe-L-Phe-OH, Ac-D-Phe-L-Phe-OH, and Ac-L-Phe-D-Phe-OH, are formed during D-phenylalanine racemization. The overall content of these dipeptides in the reaction mixture ranged from 40 to 60% depending on the reaction conditions. We concluded that, like alpha-aminoisobutyric acid, phenylalanine is prone to polymerization under racemization conditions.

[Enzymatic synthesis of peptides of arginine-chromophore substrates of metalloproteinases and carboxypeptidases]. / Fermentativnyi sintez peptidov arginina-khromofornykh substratov metalloproteinaz i karboksipeptidaz.

Subtilisin 72 sorbed on the surface of macroporous glass catalyzes a condensation of the esters of N-acylated peptides with arginine derivatives in organic solvents. The sorbed enzyme can be used repeatedly, which makes it possible to synthesize the chromophore substrates of metalloproteinases and carbopeptidases of the general formula Dnp-Ala-Ala-Xaa-Arg-NH2 (Xaa = Leu, Phe, Val, Ile). In tetrapeptides, metalloproteinases hydrolyze the Ala-Xaa bond with the removal of Dnp-Ala-Ala-OH, which can be determined spectrophotometrically. The chromophore substrates of carboxypeptidases of the B type (Dnp-Ala-Ala-Xaa-Arg-OH and Dnp-Ala-Ala-Arg-OH) are obtained by hydrolysis of the corresponding amides by trypsin.

[A transformylation reaction--transfer of an N-formyl residue to amino acids and peptides in nucleophilic groups--as a side reaction of peptide synthesis]. / Reaktsiia transformilirovaniia--perenos N-formil'nogo ostatka v proizvodnykh aminokislot i peptidov na nukleofil'nye gruppy--kak pobochnaia reaktsiia peptidnogo sinteza.

The formyl group transfer from N-formyl amino acids and their derivatives to other acceptors--amino acids esters and aniline, was studied. Formylamino acids with the free alpha-carboxyl group are more effective donors in transformylation than formyl peptides or esters of formylamino acids.