Molecular Cloning and Biochemical Characterisation of Proteases from Staphylococcus epidermidis
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Grzegorz Dubin
Abstract
We report the complete coding sequence and the partial amino acid sequence (determined by chemical sequencing) of Staphylococcus epidermidis extracellular cysteine (Ecp) and serine (Esp) proteases. The first enzyme shows an extended sequence similarity to Staphylococcus aureus cysteine protease (staphopain) and the second one resembles the serine protease produced by that species. The region directly upstream of the sequence coding for the mature protein in both enzymes displays significant homology to the profragments encoded by sspB and sspA, respectively, thus suggesting that the characterised enzymes may also be produced as proproteins. Furthermore, we report some biological properties of the cysteine protease, contributing to a better understanding of its role as a possible virulence factor. The proteolytic activity of this enzyme was rapidly and efficiently inhibited by human α-2-macroglobulin; however, human kininogen as well as cystatins (A, C and D) were not inhibitory. Moreover, the protease was capable of inactivating, by limited proteolysis, both α-1-antitrypsin and HMWkininogen, but neither α-1-antichymotrypsin nor antithrombin III.
Copyright © 2001 by Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co. KG
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- Elimination of Hydrocortisone from the Medium Enables Tissue Plasminogen Activator Gene Expression by Normal and Immortalized Nonmalignant Human Epithelial Cells
- Molecular Cloning and Biochemical Characterisation of Proteases from Staphylococcus epidermidis
- Splice Variants of Human Cathepsin L mRNA Show Different Expression Rates
- Osmolytes as Modulators of Conformational Changes in Serpins
- Protective Activity of Aromatic Amines and Imines against Oxidative Nerve Cell Death
- Nitric Oxide Generation in Aqueous Solutions of Cigarette Smoke and Approaches to Its Origin
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Articles in the same Issue
- An Overview of Endosymbiotic Models for the Origins of Eukaryotes, Their ATP-Producing Organelles (Mitochondria and Hydrogenosomes), and Their Heterotrophic Lifestyle
- A Microsomal Ecdysone-Binding Cytochrome P450 from the Insect Locusta migratoria Purified by Sequential Use of Type-II and Type-I Ligands
- The Large Cytoplasmic Loop of the Glucose Transporter GLUT1 Is an Essential Structural Element for Function
- Visual Representation by Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) of Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus Ribonucleoproteins
- Elimination of Hydrocortisone from the Medium Enables Tissue Plasminogen Activator Gene Expression by Normal and Immortalized Nonmalignant Human Epithelial Cells
- Molecular Cloning and Biochemical Characterisation of Proteases from Staphylococcus epidermidis
- Splice Variants of Human Cathepsin L mRNA Show Different Expression Rates
- Osmolytes as Modulators of Conformational Changes in Serpins
- Protective Activity of Aromatic Amines and Imines against Oxidative Nerve Cell Death
- Nitric Oxide Generation in Aqueous Solutions of Cigarette Smoke and Approaches to Its Origin
- A Recombinant scFv/Streptavidin-Binding Peptide Fusion Protein for the Quantitative Determination of the Scorpion Venom Neurotoxin AahI
