Resynthesis of Reactive Site Peptide Bond and Temporary Inhibition of Streptomyces Metalloproteinase Inhibitor

Abstract

Streptomyces metalloproteinase inhibitor (SMPI) is a small proteinaceous inhibitor which inhibits metalloproteinases such as thermolysin (K₁=1.14×10^-10M). When incubated with the enzyme, it is gradually hydrolyzed at the Cys⁶⁴-Val⁶⁵ peptide bond, which was identified as the reactive site by mutational analysis. To achieve a further understanding of the inhibition mechanism, we attempted to resynthesize the cleaved reactive site by using the enzyme catalytic action. The native inhibitor was resynthesized from the modified inhibitor (K₁=2.18×10^-8M) by incubation with a catalytic amount of thermolysin under the same conditions as used for hydrolysis (pH 7.5, 25°C), suggesting that SMPI follows the standard mechanism of inhibition of serine proteinase inhibitors. Temporary inhibition was observed when the native inhibitor and thermolysin were incubated at a 1:100(mol/mol) enzyme-inhibitor ratio at 37°C. SMPI showed temporary inhibition towards all the enzymes it inhibited. The inhibitory spectrum of SMPI was analyzed with various metalloproteinases based on the K₁ values and limited proteolysis patterns. Pseudomonas elastase and Streptomyces griseus metalloproteinase II formed more stable complexes and showed much lower K₁ values (_??_2pM) than thermolysin. In the limited proteolysis experiments weak inhibitors were degraded by the enzymes. SMPI did not inhibit almelysin, Streptomyces caespitosus neutral proteinase or matrix metalloproteinases. SMPI specifically inhibits metalloproteinases which are sensitive to phosphoramidon.