The frequency of Candida infections has increased in recent years and it has been accompanied by a significant rise in morbidity and mortality. The secretion of aspartic proteases by Candida spp. was demonstrated to be one of the virulence determinants. Candida albicans is classified as the major human pathogen in the genus Candida. However, other species of this genus have been found to cause an increasing number of candidiases. We isolated secreted aspartic proteases (Saps) of C. albicans (Sap2p), C. tropicalis (Sapt1p), C. parapsilosis (Sapp1p), and C. lusitaniae (Saplp) from culture media. All the isolated proteases were N‐terminally sequenced. Their specific proteolytic activities and sensitivity to series of peptidomimetic inhibitors modified in the type of scissile bond replacement as well as in the N‐ and C‐termini were analyzed. The most divergent substrate specificity was observed for the Sap of C. tropicalis. The specificity of Sap of C. lusitaniae is most closely related to that of Sap of C. parapsilosis. We designed and prepared an inhibitor containing phenylstatine isoster that was equipotent towards all four proteases within the range of 10−10−10−9 m. The HIV‐1 protease inhibitors ritonavir, saquinavir, indinavir, and nelfinavir were also tested for the inhibition of four Saps. Only ritonavir and saquinavir inhibited Sap2p, Sapt1p, Sapp1p, and Saplp in micromolar concentrations.

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Comparison of the three-dimensional structure of bovine chymosin with the structures of homologous aspartic proteinases complexed with peptide inhibitors shows that Val111 in chymosin occupies a position between the specificity subsites S1 and S3. A mutation corresponding to Val111 to Phe has been introduced in an intermediary plasmid construct of prochymosin by bridging its unique restriction sites by a synthetic mutant oligonucleotide duplex. A prochymosin fusion product was expressed in Escherichia coli in such a way that the extension and substitution of the propart does not interfere with the activation of the zymogen. After activation of the crude prochymosin, the enzyme was purified by affinity chromatography on Sepharose with V-dL-P-F-F-V-dL as ligand. This procedure provided large amounts of pure protein as judged by FPLC, the activity/protein ratio, and SDS-PAGE. The enzymatic properties were determined by using a variety of peptide substrates and inhibitors; KM values for the mutant enzyme were approximately twice those of the wild type, but the kcat values were little changed. The mutant enzyme was crystallized, X-ray data were collected to 2.0-A resolution by using a FAST area detector, and the structure was solved by using difference Fourier methods and refined to an R factor of 19.5%. The mutation leads to only local changes in conformation, with the phenylalanine side chain occupying part of the S1 and S3 pockets. This accounts for the increased KM of this mutant for a substrate with a large phenylalanine side chain at P1. It is also consistent with the higher affinity of the mutant for an inhibitor with small side chains at P1 and P3 when compared with the wild-type enzyme.

The yeasts of the genus Candida are opportunistic pathogens associated with the rising incidence of life-threatening infections in immunocompromised individuals. Secretion of aspartic proteinases has been determined to be one of the virulence factors of the pathogenic Candida species. To analyze the extracellular proteolytic activities of a large number of Candida clinical isolates, we developed a screening system based on a solid medium containing hemoglobin as the sole nitrogen source. The cleavage of hemoglobin by the secreted proteinases results in formation of clearance zones. The visibility of such zones was enhanced by addition of an acid-base indicator. Using this system, we assessed 245 clinical isolates of Candida from patients in the hospital of the Faculty of Medicine, Palacky University, Olomouc, Czech Republic, for the presence of secreted aspartic proteases (Saps). We also used the test plates for rapid semiquantitative testing of Sap inhibitors. Most of the pepstatin analogs affected the formation of the zones of clearance as well as the growth of Candida albicans, C. tropicalis, and C. parapsilosis colonies. By contrast, the human immunodeficiency virus proteinase inhibitors saquinavir, ritonavir, nelfinavir, and indinavir had no effect on the Candida strains tested. These results are in agreement with the inhibition constants obtained for the individual inhibitors with purified Saps. Thus, the plates containing hemoglobin proved to be an appropriate tool for the rapid and reliable assessment of Sap production and inhibition.The yeasts of the genus Candida are opportunistically invasive in individuals whose defense mechanisms are impaired. Pathogenic Candida species cause diseases ranging from superficial mycoses to disseminated and often fatal infections. The individuals at risk include intensive care and postsurgical patients, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected hosts, patients with hematological malignancies, elderly patients, and premature infants (4,6,18,25,28). Although Candida albicans is the most frequently isolated yeast associated with human infection, changing patterns of the Candida species detected among clinical isolates in the last decade are evident (5,8,24,28). Therefore, rapid and reliable identification of Candida species producing certain virulence factors is important in routine clinical microbiology practice.Virulence attributes of Candida species include adherence to host tissues, morphological changes, and secretion of hydrolases, e.g., phospholipases and proteinases (11). Secreted aspartic proteinases (Saps) of pathogenic Candida spp. have been studied extensively (13). C. albicans, C. tropicalis, C. dubliniensis, C. guilliermondii, and C. parapsilosis possess SAP gene families (7,10,13,16,30). The Saps of C. albicans, C. parapsilosis, C. tropicalis, and C. lusitaniae have been characterized (2,9,12,14,19,22,26), and their inhibitors have been tested as potential antimycotic drugs (for a review, see reference 27). Information on the extracellular proteolysis of o...

The specificity of the p15 proteinase of myeloblastosis-associated virus (MAV) was tested with nonviral high molecular weight substrates and with synthetic peptides. Peptides with sequences spanning known cleavage sites in viral polyproteins of Rous sarcoma virus (RSV) and avian leukemia viruses, as well as in BSA and HSA, were synthesized, and the rate of their cleavage by the MAV proteinase was compared. Synthetic peptides require for successful cleavage at least 4 residues at the N-terminal side and 3 residues at the C-terminal side. The proteinase shows a preference for hydrophobic residues with bulky side chains (Met, Tyr, Phe) in P3, although Arg and Gln can also be accepted. Small hydrophobic residues are required in P2 and P2', and large hydrophobic residues (Tyr, Met, Phe/p-nitro-Phe) are preferred in both P1 and P1'. The difference between the specificity of the p15 proteinase and that of the HIV-1 proteinase mostly pertains to position P2' of the substrate, where bulkier side chains are accepted by the HIV-1 proteinase (Richards et al., 1990). A good chromogenic substrate for the MAV and RSV proteinases was developed and used to further characterize the MAV proteinase activity with respect to ionic strength and pH. The activity of the proteinase is strongly dependent on ionic strength and pH. Both the kcat and Km values contribute to a higher cleavage efficiency at higher salt concentrations and show a bell-shaped pH dependence curve with a sharp maximum at pH 5.5 (kcat) and 6.5 (Km).

Nitro substituent exhibits a meta-activating effect on the course of photochemical hydrolysis of phenyl acetates since UV photolysis of isomeric 4- and 3-nitrophenyl acetates in neutral aqueous solution leads to the formation of the corresponding phenols with quantum yields 0.002 and 0.006, respectively; 2-methoxy-4-nitro- and 2-methoxy-5-nitrophenyl acetates showed still greater difference in their photochemical reactivity (Φr 0.002 and 0.129, respectively). Quenching of the photohydrolysis of the latter compound with 2,4-hexadienoic acid indicates the participation of a triplet state with the effective lifetime of 0.15 μs. The photoreaction is accelerated in acidic media which means that one of the early photochemical steps is the protonation of the excited state. No incorporation of 18O into the product molecule was observed after the photolysis of 2-methoxy-5-nitrophenyl acetate in H218O, which is an unambiguous evidence that the photoreaction proceeds as a light-induced hydrolysis of the ester bond.

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Half-wave potentials of two series of quinone methides A have been determined in 0.1M tetrabutylammonium perchlorate in dimethylformamide. the first series (type I; 14 compounds) contained fuchsones substituted in positions 2 and 2,6 of the quinonoid ring, the second series (type II and III; 17 compounds) consisted of 2,6-ditert-butylquinone methides, with substituents at the exocyclic C(7) carbon atom. Properties of the first polarographic wave proved that in both series the reaction is one-electron, reversible, diffusion-controlled process. Linear free energy relationship was found between E1/2 and dual substituent constants σI and σR. Statistical analysis of linear free energy relationship for 2- and 2,6-substituted derivatives proved absence of steric factor in transmission of electronic substituent effect. The experimental results were interpreted on the basis of LUMO energies and spin densities, calculated by the HMO method.