The histidines reacting with ethoxyformic anhydride in porcine pancreatic lipase: their relationships with enzyme activity.

The activities of porcine pancreatic lipase (449 amino acid residues) toward two different substrates, p-nitrophenylacetate and tributyrylglycerol, and their dependence on histidine ethoxyformylation were studied. In parallel, the ethoxyformylation of the lipase fragment constituting the C-terminal sequence of lipase (residues 336 to 449) was also investigated. This fragment was found to have retained the ability of lipase to catalyse p-nitrophenylacetate hydrolysis. The first histidine to react either in lipase or in the lipase fragment was His-354. The activities of the two compounds toward p-nitrophenyl-acetate were lost but that of the enzyme toward tributyrylglycerol was almost entirely retained. When a larger excess of ethoxyformic anhydride was used for the lipase reaction, 2.8 histidine residues were ethoxyformylated and characterised as His-354, His-156 and His-75, which resulted in an 85% inhibition of the tributyrylglycerol hydrolysis by the enzyme. Hydroxylamine treatment reactivated most of the lipase and lipase fragment. This is the first demonstration that the two lipase activities are not associated with the same active site. The loss of activity toward triacylglycerol hydrolysis suggests that His-156 and/or His-75 belong(s) to the active site or that a conformational change resulting from the ethoxyformylation renders the lipase inactive.

Characterization in rat pancreatic juice of a protein homologous to the human pancreatic stone protein.

1. The pancreatic stone protein (PSP, Mr 15,000) which has been discovered in human calculi derives from the native glycosylated forms of the protein (Mrs 17,500-22,000) which are present in human pancreatic juice through tryptic cleavage of the Arg 11-Ile 12 bond. 2. In the present study, a homologous native form of the protein (Mr 17,000) was purified from rat pancreatic juice. 3. Its N-terminal amino acid sequence was found to display a high degree of homology with that of the human native protein forms, apart from the fact that it was not glycosylated. 4. In rat as in human, tryptic cleavage of the Arg 11-Ile 12 bond transforms a soluble protein into one which is practically insoluble at neutral pH.

Porcine pancreatic lipase. The disulfide bridges and the sulfhydryl groups.

Following complete sequence analysis of the 449 amino acids in porcine pancreatic lipase [J. De Caro et al. (1981) Biochim. Biophys. Acta, 671, 129-138], the position of the six disulfide bridges and of the two free thiols of the protein was investigated using a variety of techniques. Three bridges (Cys-4--Cys-10, Cys-237--Cys-261 and Cys-433--Cys-449) were easily identified in the peptic digest of lipase at pH 2.0. In the latter digest, two other bridges (Cys-285--Cys-296 and Cys-299--Cys-304) were also identified by means of the cystine peptide constituted by two peptide segments: Ala281-Gly-Phe-Pro-Cys-Asp-Ser287 and Thr292-Ala-Asn-Lys-Cys-Phe-Pro-Cys-Pro-Ser-Glu-Gly-Cys-Pro-Gln-Met307. A disulfide bridge, formed by Cys-285 and one of the three half-cystines of the other segment, connected the two peptide moieties. A second disulfide bridge linked the two remaining half-cystines. It was not possible to split any peptide bond between Cys-296 and Cys-304 with proteolytic enzymes. The determination of the pairing of the four half-cystines was resolved as follows. Bond Lys-295--Cys-296 was cleaved with trypsin. A single cycle of Edman degradation was then performed on the peptide compound, thus freeing, in particular, Cys-296 of the peptide bond (296-297). Cys-296 only retained its S-S connection with the half-cystine partner. At the completion of the above operations, the two peptide segments (282-287) and (297-307) could be separated. Consequently it was concluded that Cys-285 is linked to Cys-296. Therefore Cys-299 and Cys-304 are paired. The most reactive SHI group of the enzyme was localized on Cys-181 by condensation of the native protein with radioactive N-ethylmaleimide. The alkylation of the SHII group required previous denaturation of the molecule at alkaline pH. The results obtained for the characterization of the SHII group suggested the existence of two isomeric forms, the SHII being either on Cys-101 or Cys-103 and the bridge alternately between Cys-90--Cys-103 or Cys-90--Cys-101. It is not yet known whether these two forms pre-exist in native lipase or result from an exchange reaction. The bridge Cys-90--Cys-101 was characterized in a thermolytic digest of a cyanogen bromide fragment (CN II) of the protein. However, another bridge involving Cys-181 was also found in the digest. This bridge is considered as being an artefact. It is possible that considering the treatments undergone by the large peptide (CN II), the SH groups of lipase were oxidized and transformed in an S-S bridge. The disulfide bridges of lipase form relatively small loops along the main chain. This arrangement is consistent with a high flexibility of the molecule. As reported earlier [R. Verger et. al. (1971) Biochim. Biophys. Acta. 242, 580-592], the SHI group is not essential for lipase activity. The role of the SHII group should be more precisely investigated.

Porcine pancreatic lipase. Sequence of the first 234 amino acids of the peptide chain.

The single polypeptide chain of about 460 amino acids of porcine pancreatic lipase (EC 3.1.1.3) has been fragmented into five peptides by cyanogen bromide cleavage [Rovery, M., Bianchetta, J. & Guidoni, A. (1973) Biochim. Biophys. Acta, 328, 391--395]. The sequence of the first three cyanogen bromide peptides (CNI, CNII, CNIII), including a total of 234 amino acids, was fully elucidated. Automatic or manual Edman degradation was performed on the different peptides. Fragmentations of the CN peptides were accomplished by digestions with trypsin (after citraconylation or 1,2-cyclohexanedione treatment), chymotrypsin and Staphylococcus aureus external protease. Hydrolysis of unreduced material by pepsin and thermolysin, performed in order to determine the S-S bridge positions, provided useful overlapping peptides. The glycan moiety of lipase is bound to Asn-166. The non-essential tyrosine specifically blocked by diisopropylphosphorofluoridate is Tyr-49 in a cluster of asparagine and glutamine residues. The existence of a highly hydrophobic sequence (206--217) at the C terminus of the CNII fragment is noteworthy.