ABSTRACT
A series of fluorogenic tetra-, penta-, and hexapeptide substrates of the general structure Abz-X-Phe-Phe-Y-Ded (or -pNa in place of -Ded), where X = Ala, Ala-Ala, or Val-Ala and Y = -, Ala, or Ala-Ala, were proposed. Kinetic parameters of hydrolysis of these substrates by pepsin, cathepsin D, human gastricsin, pig pepsin, calf chymosin, and aspergillopepsin A were determined. The compounds synthesized proved to be effective substrates for aspartyl proteases of diverse origins.
Subject(s)
Aspartic Acid Endopeptidases/analysis , Aspartic Acid Endopeptidases/chemistry , Peptides/chemistry , Fluorescence , Humans , Substrate SpecificityABSTRACT
Cathepsin D is a lysosomal aspartic proteinase that has been implicated in several pathological processes such as breast cancer and Alzheimer's disease. We designed and synthesized a number of quenched fluorogenic substrates with P2 variations in the series AcEE(EDANS)KPIXFFRLGK(DABCYL)E-NH2, where X=cysteine, methylcysteine, ethylcysteine, tert-butylcysteine, carboxymethylcysteine, methionine, valine or isoleucine. Most of the fluorogenic substrates exhibited greater k(cat)/Km ratios than the best cathepsin D substrates described so far. Differences in kinetic constants, which were rationalized using structure-based modeling, might make certain substrates useful for particular applications, such as active site titrations or initial velocity determination using a fluorescent plate reader.
Subject(s)
Cathepsin D/metabolism , Fluorescent Dyes/chemical synthesis , Oligopeptides/chemical synthesis , Cathepsin D/chemistry , Fluorescent Dyes/metabolism , Humans , Hydrogen Bonding , Liver/enzymology , Models, Molecular , Naphthalenesulfonates , Oligopeptides/metabolism , Protein Conformation , Spectrometry, Fluorescence/methods , Substrate Specificity , p-Dimethylaminoazobenzene/analogs & derivativesABSTRACT
Via a combination of chemical and enzymatic synthesis, new hexapeptide substrates convenient for use in activity assessment of several aspartyl proteinases--porcine pepsin, human pepsin, gastricsin, and cathepsin D--were prepared. These peptide derivatives, o-aminobenzoyl-Ala-Ala-Phe-Phe-Ala-Ala-p-nitroanilide and N-(o-aminobenzoyl-Ala-Ala-Phe-Phe-Ala-Ala)-N'-2,4-dinitrophenyl ethylenediamine, contain a fluorescent o-aminobenzoyl moiety as well as p-nitroaniline or N-2,4-dinitrophenyl ethylenediamine--the groups that cause fluorescence quenching. Aspartyl proteinases hydrolyze the Phe-Phe peptide bond in the substrates, which diminishes quenching due to separation of the fluorescent and quenching moieties and leads to an increase in the fluorescence intensity of o-aminobenzoyl residue. Abz-Ala-Ala-Phe-Phe-Ala-Ala-Ded, being fairly well hydrolyzed by HIV proteinase, might be used for assay of this enzyme.
Subject(s)
Aminobenzoates/chemistry , Cathepsin D/analysis , Oligopeptides/chemistry , Pepsin A/analysis , Amino Acid Sequence , Animals , Fluorometry , Humans , Molecular Sequence Data , Molecular Structure , SwineABSTRACT
Inhibitors of HIV-1 protease represent a new class of antiretroviral compounds. Here, we report the design and synthesis of two novel C2 symmetry-based inhibitors, MP-134 and MP-167, specifically targeted against HIV-1 variants with reduced sensitivity to another related protease inhibitor, A-77003. In addition, we describe the in vitro selection of viral variants with reduced sensitivity of these two protease inhibitors. An isoleucine-to-valine substitution at residue 84 (I84V) of the HIV-1 protease confers resistance to MP-134, whereas a glycine-to-valine substitution at residue 48 (G48V) confers resistance to MP-167. Testing other protease inhibitors against these variants has revealed specific overlapping patterns of resistance among these agents. These findings have important implications in the design of combination regimens using multiple protease inhibitors and underscore the need to develop non-cross-resistant compounds to be used toward this goal.
Subject(s)
HIV Protease Inhibitors/pharmacology , HIV-1/drug effects , Amino Acid Sequence , Cell Line , Drug Design , Drug Resistance, Microbial , HIV Protease/chemistry , HIV Protease/drug effects , HIV Protease Inhibitors/chemistry , HIV-1/enzymology , HIV-1/genetics , Humans , Methylurea Compounds/pharmacology , Molecular Sequence Data , Molecular Structure , Pyridines/pharmacology , Sequence Homology, Amino Acid , Structure-Activity Relationship , Valine/analogs & derivativesABSTRACT
Eleven different recombinant, drug-resistant HIV-1 protease (HIV PR) mutants--R8Q, V32I, M46I, V82A, V82F, V82I, I84V, V32I/I84V, M46I/V82F, M46I/I84V, and V32I/K45I/F53L/A71V/I84V/L89M--were generated on the basis of results of in vitro selection experiments using the inhibitors A-77003, A-84538, and KNI-272. Kinetic parameters of mutant and wild-type (WT) enzymes were measured along with inhibition constants (Ki) toward the inhibitors A-77003, A-84538, KNI-272, L-735,524, and Ro31-8959. The catalytic efficiency, kcat/Km, for the mutants decreased relative to WT by a factor of 1.2-14.8 and was mainly due to the elevation of Km. The effects of specific mutations on Ki values were unique with respect to both inhibitor and mutant enzyme. A new property, termed vitality, defined as the ratio (Kikcat/Km)mutant/(Kikcat/Km)WT was introduced to compare the selective advantage of different mutants in the presence of a given inhibitor. High vitality values were generally observed with mutations that emerged during in vitro selection studies. The kinetic model along with the panel of mutants described here should be useful for evaluating and predicting patterns of resistance for HIV PR inhibitors and may aid in the selection of inhibitor combinations to combat drug resistance.
