Meprin-A and -B. Cell surface endopeptidases of the mouse kidney.

The proteinase meprin-A is a disulfide-linked tetramer of 90-kDa glycoprotein subunits. It is expressed at high levels in kidney brush border membranes of random bred and certain inbred strains of mice. Some mouse strains (e.g. C3H/He) do not express meprin-A subunits, but do produce a similar but less well characterized metalloendopeptidase, meprin-B. In the present study, meprin-B was purified from C3H/He mouse kidneys to electrophoretic homogeneity, and the relationship between it and meprin-A was investigated. The papain-solubilized form of meprin-B was similar to meprin-A in amino acid composition, molecular mass, secondary, and quaternary structure. However, immunoblots indicated that the enzymes have some common and some distinct epitopes. Lectin blots indicated both enzymes have high mannose and/or complex biantennary oligosaccharides, but there are differences in the complex-type glycosylation. Peptide maps and sequencing of cyanogen-bromide fragments of the enzymes revealed some different amino acid sequences. Thermal inactivation studies indicated that meprin-B was much less stable than meprin-A; the half-life for inactivation at 58 degrees C for meprin-A was 50 min, whereas for meprin-B it was less than 3 min. Both enzymes hydrolyzed azocasein and insulin B chain, but limited proteolysis of the enzymes with trypsin activated meprin-B 5-20-fold, whereas meprin-A was activated 2-fold at most. Analysis of hydrolysis products of the oxidized insulin B chain revealed some common and some distinct sites of cleavage. Bradykinin was a good substrate for meprin-A, while it was not hydrolyzed by meprin-B. A synthetic peptide, YLVC(SO3-)GERG, derived from insulin B chain was hydrolyzed faster by meprin-B than meprin-A, and neither enzyme was activated by trypsin treatment against this substrate. Taken together, the data indicate that the two metalloendopeptidases have many similarities but are distinct enzymes.