Human serum dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPPIV) and its unique properties.

Dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPPIV, EC 3.4.14.5) has been purified 18,000-fold in a yield of 2.2% from human serum. Serum DPPIV, a serine enzyme with an apparent mass of 250 kDa, consists of two identical subunits with an apparent mass of 100 kDa and is inhibited by DPPIV-specific inhibitor Diprotin A and also by p-chloromercuribenzoate (p-CMB), 2-mercaptoethanol, HgCl2, CdCl2, SrCl2, and ZnCl2. One of the remarkable properties of DPPIV is that its activity is greatly enhanced by Gly-X (X: especially, Gly, Gln, Glu and Ser) dipeptides. Gly-X dipeptides increase not only an apparent Km of serum DPPIV for glycyl-L-proline 3,5-dibromo-4-hydroxyanilide nearly 10-fold, but also an apparent kcat nearly 4-fold. This mechanism is unclear, but one possibility is that Gly-Pro from substrate might bind amino acids or dipeptides instead of water molecules as DPPIV transpeptidyl activity reported previously. Another remarkable property of DPPIV is the ability to bind adenosine deaminase-I and -II, as is the case with recombinant soluble CD26 (rsCD26). This probably indicates that DPPIV purified from human serum by our method originates from T-lymphocytes.

Colorimetrical rate assay for urinary dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPPIV) activity using a new substrate.

We synthesized a new substrate glycyl-L-proline 3,5-dibromo-4-hydroxyanilide (Gly-Pro-DBAP), for dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPPIV). Its hydrolysis by DPPIV resulted in the formation of a chromophore, 2,6-dibromophenol-indo-p-xylenol, and its maximal absorption wavelength (600 nm) was longer than that of p-nitroaniline (415 nm) released from conventional substrate, glycyl-L-proline p-nitroanilide (Gly-Pro-pNA). We also established the rate assay for urinary DPPIV activity using Gly-Pro-DBAP. The optimum pH was between 8.5 and 9.0. The apparent Km was 1.1 mmol/1. The detectable range was 2.5-350 U/l. No changes in blank values occurred throughout the enzyme reaction in the optimum pH. Its value was also much lower than Gly-Pro-pNA. CVs for within-run and between-run were 1.1% (n = 10) and 3.0% (n = 10), respectively. Among tested peptidases, only DPPIV could hydrolyze Gly-Pro-DBAP. Among the protease inhibitors, only two, diprotin-A and phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride (PMSA), could inhibit DPPIV activity. The present method did not interfere with urinary ingredients such as hemoglobin. The correlation between the present (y) and conventional (x) methods is presented by the equation y = 1.121x + 0.096 (r = 0.993). Thus the present method provides practical advantages over the conventional method for routine laboratory use.

[Studies on the excretion of urinary glycylprolyl dipeptidyl-aminopeptidase (GP-DAP) during normal pregnancy].

Several investigators reported that GP-DAP activity, one of dipeptidyl-aminopeptidases, increased in urine of patients with various renal diseases. In this study, we determined urinary GP-DAP and NAG activities of 165 subjects in normal pregnant women. It was clear that urinary GP-DAP was increased less than NAG with the progress of normal pregnancy. In conclusion, it is suggested that urinary GP-DAP may be a better marker than NAG for the discrimination of renal diseases from normal pregnancy.

Colorimetric determination of carboxypeptidase A activity in serum.

This simple, reproducible colorimetric method for determining the activity of carboxypeptidase A (EC 3.4.17.1) is based on measuring the absorbance at 505 nm of a quinoneimine dye produced from the action of this enzyme on the new substrate p-hydroxybenzoyl-glycyl-L-phenylalanine. The enzyme acts on the substrate to produce p-hydroxybenzoyl-glycine and L-phenylalanine. The former is then hydrolyzed by hippuricase (EC 3.5.1.14) to produce p-hydroxybenzoic acid and glycine. Finally, oxidative coupling of p-hydroxybenzoic acid with 4-aminoantipyrine by sodium periodate forms a quinoneimine dye. The Km for the reaction with this substrate is 3.6 mmol/L; the optimum pH is 7.8. Our within-run and between-run CVs are 4.3% and 6.6%, respectively. The activity of carboxypeptidase A in serum correlates well with that of lipase (r = 0.96) and immunoreactive elastase-1 (r = 0.76).