Decapod crustaceans synthesize highly active proteolytic enzymes in the midgut gland and release at least a part of them into the stomach where they facilitate the first step in peptide hydrolysis. The most common proteinases in the gastric fluid characterized so far are serine proteinases, that is, trypsin and chymotrypsin. These enzymes show highest activities at neutral or slightly alkaline conditions. The presence of acid proteinases, as they prevail in vertebrates, has been discussed contradictorily yet in invertebrates. In this study, we show that acid aspartic proteinases appear in the gastric fluid of several decapods. Lobsters Homarus gammarus showed the highest activity with a maximum at pH 3. These activities were almost entirely inhibited by pepstatin A, which indicates a high share of aspartic proteinases. In other species (Panulirus interruptus, Cancer pagurus, Callinectes arcuatus and Callinectes bellicosus), proteolytic activities were present at acid conditions but were distinctly lower than in H. gammarus. Zymograms at pH 3 showed in each of the studied species at least one, but mostly two-four bands of activity. The apparent molecular weight of the enzymes ranged from 17.8 to 38.6 kDa. Two distinct bands were identified which were inhibited by pepstatin A. Acid aspartic proteinases may play an important role in the process of extracellular digestion in decapod crustaceans. Activities were significantly higher in clawed lobster than in spiny lobster and three species of brachyurans. Therefore, it may be suggested that the expression of acid proteinases is favored in certain groups and reduced in others.

Aspartic proteinases in the gastric fluid of clawed lobsters Homarus americanus and Homarus gammarus were isolated to homogeneity by single-step pepstatin-A affinity chromatography; such enzymes have been previously identified as cathepsin D-like enzymes based on their deduced amino acid sequence. Here, we describe their biochemical characteristics; the properties of the lobster enzymes were compared with those of its homolog, bovine cathepsin D, and found to be unique in a number of ways. The lobster enzymes demonstrated hydrolytic activity against synthetic and natural substrates at a wider range of pH; they were more temperature-sensitive, showed no changes in the K(M) value at 4°C, 10°C, and 25°C, and had 20-fold higher k(cat)/K(M) values than bovine enzyme. The bovine enzyme was temperature-dependent. We propose that both properties arose from an increase in molecular flexibility required to compensate for the reduction of reaction rates at low habitat temperatures. This is supported by the fast denaturation rates induced by temperature.

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