Lobster muscle proteasome and the degradation of myofibrillar proteins.

The lobster proteasome is primarily a cytosolic enzyme in crustacean striated muscles, although a small amount (< 1% of total) occurs in aggregates associated with invaginations of the cell membrane. The complex exists in vitro in three distinct catalytic states (basal, SDS-activated, and heat-activated forms) which have identical subunit compositions. This review summarizes recent results showing that the branched-chain amino acid-preferring (BrAAP) activity mediates the hydrolysis of myofibrillar proteins by the heat-activated proteasome: (a) only the BrAAP activity is stimulated by heat treatment; (b) the BrAAP activity is strongly inhibited by protein substrates, and (c) both the BrAAP and proteolytic activities show similar sensitivities to cations and protease inhibitors.