Novel internally quenched fluorogenic substrates for angiotensin I-converting enzyme and carboxypeptidase Y

Angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE, EC 3.4.15.1) is one of the most important enzymes in the renin-angiotensin system, a major blood pressure control system in mammals. We synthesized novel internally quenched fluorogenic (IQF) substrates for ACE based on the cleavage site of an angiotensin I, introducing N-methyl anthranic acid (Nma) and Nε-2,4-dinitrophenyl-lysine (Lys(Dnp))at the N- and C-terminal regions. Kinetic parameters of the synthesized IQF substrates Nma-Phe-His-Lys(Dnp) and Nma-His-Pro-Phe-Lys(Dnp)-Pro were compared with those of a common peptide substrate for ACE, hippuryl (Hip)-His-Leu. The kcat/Km values of Nma-Phe-His-Lys(Dnp), Nma-His-Pro-Phe-Lys(Dnp)-Pro, and Hip-His-Leu were 5.12, 1.90, and 0.80 μM-1 s-1 for rabbit lung ACE, and 16.0, 7.36, and 0.30 μM-1 s-1 for recombinant human (rh)-ACE, respectively. These results indicate that Nma-Phe-His-Lys(Dnp) is an excellent substrate for rh-ACE. Carboxypeptidase Y also hydrolyzed Nma-Phe-His-Lys(Dnp) efficiently with Km, kcat, and kcat/Km values of 60.2 μM, 105 s-1, and 1.74 μM-1 s-1, respectively. On the other hand, carboxypeptidase B did not hydrolyze IQF substrates. The newly developed IQF substrate, Nma-Phe-His-Lys(Dnp), is a valuable tool for ACE and carboxypeptidase studies.