A post-proline endopeptidase (EC 3.4.21.26) was isolated from pig kidneys using a modified method described earlier. The enzyme was further purified by ion exchange chromatography on DEAE-Sephacel. The final product contained about 95% of post-proline endopeptidase. The enzyme molecule consisted of one peptide chain with a relative molecular mass of 65 600 to 70 000, containing a large proportion of acidic and alifatic amino acids (glutamic acid, aspartic acid and leucine) and the N-terminus was formed by aspartic acid or asparagine. In order to prevent losses of enzyme activity, thiol compounds has to be added.

Post-proline endopeptidase was isolated from pig kidneys and partially purified. The procedure consisted of fractionation with ammonium sulphate, ion exchange chromatography on DEAE-Sephadex A-50, gel filtration on Sephadex G-200 and rechromatography on DEAE-Sephadex A-50. The preparation had 55 times higher specific activity than the crude extract and did not contain any contaminating enzymic activities. The enzyme cleaved a number of proline-containing peptides and was strictly specific in catalyzing the hydrolysis of the peptide bond on the carboxyl side of the proline residue. The optimum pH for the hydrolysis of the synthetic peptides benzyl-oxycarbonylglycyl-prolyl-leucyl-glycinamide and benzyloxycarbonyl-glycyl-proline β-naphtylamide was 7.8-8.0 and, in the case of benzyloxycarbonylglycyl-proline p-nitroanilide, 7.2 to 7.5. For the hydrolysis of the tetrapeptide benzyloxycarbonylglycyl-prolyl-leucyl-glycinamide, the Km value of 75 μ mol l-1 was obtained.

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The free thiol group of post-proline endopeptidase (EC 3.4.21.26) can interact with the disulfide bridge contained in some of the substrates of this enzyme (neurohypophysial hormones and some of their analogues). The influence of these interactions on the activity of this enzyme was studied using several substances modelling individual types of interactions: thiol-disulfide exchange, catalytic interaction and a complex interaction including the two preceding types. Deamino-1-carba-oxytocin is catalytically hydrolysed in the concentration range up to 10-3mol/l, oxytocin and arginine-vasopressin are catalytically hydrolysed in concentrations of 10-5 to 10-8 mol/l. A reaction leading to inactivation of the enzyme prevails at concentrations of 10-3 to 10-4 mol/l. When inactivated by lower concentrations of arginine-vasopressin (up to a molar ratio of 1 : 1), the enzyme can be reactivated by incubation with dithiothreitol, higher concentrations of arginine-vasopresson cause irreversible enzyme inactivation.

Die Analogen (Ib),(Ic) von Oxytocin (Ia) sowie das Analoge (Ie) von Vasopressin (Id), die jeweils tert.‐Leucin (Tle) in Position 8 enthalten, werden nach klassischen Fragmentkondensationsmethoden in Lösung dargestellt.