Critical lysine residue at the chloride binding site of angiotensin converting enzyme.

Pulmonary angiotensin converting enzyme has been reductively methylated by using formaldehyde and sodium cyanoborohydride. This modification virtually eliminates enzyme activity toward some substrates (e.g., furanacryloyl-Phe-Gly-Gly) while less drastically affecting activity toward others (e.g., furanacryloyl-Phe-Phe-Arg). Affinity chromatography and analysis of radiolabeled reaction products reveal that this effect is due to methylation of a single critical lysine residue. Loss of activity primarily represents an increase in Km values, indicating that the critical lysine plays a role in substrate binding. This lysine can be protected by a competitive inhibitor, suggesting that it is at or near the active site. Addition of chloride at pH 6.1 specifically protects against methylation of this lysine. These findings support the idea that the critical lysine is part of the binding site for chloride and other monovalent anions which are strong activators of the enzyme.