Serine proteinases like thrombin can signal to cells by the cleavage/activation of proteinase-activated receptors (PARs).Although thrombin is a recognized physiological activator of PAR 1 and PAR 4 , the endogenous enzymes responsible for activating PAR 2 in settings other than the gastrointestinal system, where trypsin can activate PAR 2 , are unknown. We tested the hypothesis that the human tissue kallikrein (hK) family of proteinases regulates PAR signaling by using the following: 1) a high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC)-mass spectral analysis of the cleavage products yielded upon incubation of hK5, -6, and -14 with synthetic PAR N-terminal peptide sequences representing the cleavage/activation motifs of PAR 1 , PAR 2 , and PAR 4 ; 2) PAR-dependent calcium signaling responses in cells expressing PAR 1 , PAR 2 , and PAR 4 and in human platelets; 3) a vascular ring vasorelaxation assay; and 4) a PAR 4 -dependent rat and human platelet aggregation assay. We found that hK5, -6, and -14 all yielded PAR peptide cleavage sequences consistent with either receptor activation or inactivation/disarming. Furthermore, hK14 was able to activate PAR 1 , PAR 2 , and PAR 4 and to disarm/inhibit PAR 1 . Although hK5 and -6 were also able to activate PAR 2 , they failed to cause PAR 4 -dependent aggregation of rat and human platelets, although hK14 did. Furthermore, the relative potencies and maximum effects of hK14 and -6 to activate PAR 2 -mediated calcium signaling differed. Our data indicate that in physiological settings, hKs may represent important endogenous regulators of the PARs and that different hKs can have differential actions on PAR 1 , PAR 2 , and PAR 4 . Proteinase-activated receptors (PAR 1-4 )3 compose a unique family of four G-protein-coupled cell surface receptors for certain proteinases (1-9). Proteolytic cleavage within the extracellular N terminus reveals a tethered ligand that binds to the extracellular receptor domains to initiate cell signaling (5, 6, 9, 10). Proteinases that activate PARs include coagulation factors, enzymes from inflammatory cells, and proteinases from epithelial cells and neurons. These enzymes, generated and released during injury and inflammation, can cleave and activate PARs on many cell types from a variety of species (humans, rats, and mice) to regulate the critically important processes of hemostasis, inflammation, pain, and tissue repair. Other proteinases that cleave PARs downstream of the N-terminal tethered ligand sequence disable the receptors for further proteolytic activation, thus abrogating PAR signaling. It is of considerable interest to identify the proteinases that activate and/or disable PARs, in view of the emerging role that these receptors can play in diseases such as asthma, arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, and cancer (5-7).In some systems, the proteinases that activate PARs have been established. For example, in the circulatory system, PAR 1 , PAR 3 , and PAR 4 are recognized physiological targets for thrombin (4), which does not efficiently acti...

We have identified a novel serine protease, myelencephalon-specific protease (MSP), which is preferentially expressed in the adult CNS, and therein, is abundant in both neurones and oligodendroglia. To determine the potential activity of MSP in CNS demyelination, we examined its expression in multiple sclerosis lesions and in two animal models of multiple sclerosis: Theiler's murine encephalomyelitis virus (TMEV) and myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG)-induced experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE) in marmosets. High levels of MSP were present within infiltrating mononuclear cells, including macrophages and T cells, which characteristically fill sites of demyelination, both in multiple sclerosis lesions and in animal models of this disease. The functional consequence of excess MSP on oligodendroglia was determined in vitro by evaluating the effects of recombinant MSP (r-MSP) on oligodendrocyte survival and process number. Application of excess r-MSP resulted in a dramatic loss of processes from differentiated oligodendrocytes, and a parallel decrease in process outgrowth from immature cells. Transfection of oligodendrocyte progenitors with an MSP-green fluorescent protein construct produced similar changes in oligodendrocyte process number. Importantly, r-MSP did not affect oligodendrocyte survival or differentiation towards the sulphatide-positive lineage. We further demonstrate that myelin basic protein, and to a lesser extent myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein, can serve as MSP substrates. These studies support the hypothesis that excess MSP, as is present in inflammatory CNS lesions, promotes demyelination.

The human kallikreins are a large multigene family of closely related serine-type proteases. In this regard, they are similar to the multigene kallikrein families characterized in mice and rats. There is a much more extensive body of knowledge regarding the function of mouse and rat kallikreins in comparison with the human kallikreins. Human kallikrein 6 has been proposed as the homologue to rat myelencephalon-specific protease, an arginine-specific degradative-type protease abundantly expressed in the central nervous system and implicated in demyelinating disease. We present the xray crystal structure of mature, active recombinant human kallikrein 6 at 1.75-Å resolution. This high resolution model provides the first three-dimensional view of one of the human kallikreins and one of only a few structures of serine proteases predominantly expressed in the central nervous system. Enzymatic data are presented that support the identification of human kallikrein 6 as the functional homologue of rat myelencephalon-specific protease and are corroborated by a molecular phylogenetic analysis. Furthermore, the xray data provide support for the characterization of human kallikrein 6 as a degradative protease with structural features more similar to trypsin than the regulatory kallikreins.Recent studies demonstrate that humans have a large multigene family of at least 15 different kallikreins (serine type proteases, abbreviated as KLK 1 in reference to the gene, or hK in reference to the protein) (1). Similarly, the mouse and rat kallikrein gene families are characterized by a large number of closely related members that presumably arose because of gene duplication events (2-6). The different members of the mouse and rat kallikreins are characterized by a high degree of amino acid identity, but typically exhibit different preferences toward peptide substrates (7-12). Several human kallikreins have been identified as potentially useful diagnostic markers for breast (KLK3 and KLK6), prostate (KLK2 and KLK3), and ovarian (KLK6, KLK9, KLK10, and KLK11) cancers as well as neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's (KLK6) (1, 13-17).Myelencephalon-specific protease (MSP) is a member of the rat kallikrein gene family that is abundantly expressed in the rodent central nervous system and shown to be up-regulated in response to glutamate receptor-mediated excitotoxic injury (18). Potential human homologues to rat MSP have also been identified (18) and have been alternatively named protease M (19), Zyme (20), and neurosin (21). Mouse homologues to MSP have been reported as brain and skin serine protease (BSSP) (22) and brain serine protease (BSP) (23). It has been postulated that MSP/protease M/neurosin may play a key role in the regulation of myelin turnover and in demyelinating disease (18, 24 -27), including the development of multiple sclerosis lesions (25). Furthermore, this kallikrein may also play a role in the degradation of ␤-amyloid or turnover of amyloid precursor protein (28,29). The kinetic properties of MSP have ident...

Human acidic fibroblast growth factor (FGF-1) is a powerful mitogen and angiogenic factor with an apparent melting temperature (Tm) in the physiological range. FGF-1 is an example of a protein that is regulated, in part, by stability-based mechanisms. For example, the low Tm of FGF-1 has been postulated to play an important role in the unusual endoplasmic reticulum-independent secretion of this growth factor. Despite the close relationship between function and stability, accurate thermodynamic parameters of unfolding for FGF-1 have been unavailable, presumably due to effects of irreversible thermal denaturation. Here we report the determination of thermodynamic parameters of unfolding (DeltaH, DeltaG, and DeltaCp) for FGF-1 using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The thermal denaturation is demonstrated to be two-state and reversible upon the addition of low concentrations of added guanidine hydrochloride (GuHCl). DeltaG values from the DSC studies are in excellent agreement with values from isothermal GuHCl denaturation monitored by fluorescence and circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy. Furthermore, the results indicate that irreversible denaturation is closely associated with the formation of an unfolding intermediate. GuHCl appears to promote reversible two-state denaturation by initially preventing aggregation of this unfolding intermediate, and at subsequently higher concentrations, by preventing formation of the intermediate.

Kallikrein 6 (K6, MSP) is a newly identified member of the Kallikrein family of serine proteases that is preferentially expressed in the adult central nervous system (CNS). We have previously demonstrated that K6 is abundantly expressed by inflammatory cells at sites of CNS inflammation and demyelination in animal models of multiple sclerosis (MS) and in human MS lesions. To test the hypothesis that this novel enzyme is a mediator of pathogenesis in CNS inflammatory disease, we have evaluated whether autonomously generated K6 antibodies alter the clinicopathological course of disease in murine proteolipid protein139-151-induced experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (PLP139-151 EAE). We demonstrate that immunization of mice with recombinant K6 generates antibodies that block K6 enzymatic activity in vitro, including the breakdown of myelin basic protein (MBP), and that K6-immunized mice exhibit significantly delayed onset and severity of clinical deficits. Reduced clinical deficits were reflected in significantly less spinal cord pathology and meningeal inflammation and in reduced Th1 cellular responses in vivo and in vitro. These data demonstrate for the first time that K6 participates in enzymatic cascades mediating CNS inflammatory disease and that this unique enzyme may represent a novel therapeutic target for the treatment of progressive inflammatory disorders, including MS.