Chemical modification of porcine kidney aminopeptidase P indicates the involvement of two critical histidine residues.

Aminopeptidase P (AP-P), purified to homogeneity from porcine kidney membranes, was completely inactivated by treatment with 0.2 mM diethylpyrocarbonate (DEP) at pH 7.0. Treatment of the modified enzyme with 20 mM hydroxylamine resulted in recovery of AP-P activity. The differential absorption of native and modified AP-P at 240 mm showed that DEP modified two histidyl residues per mol of AP-P. The substrates, bradykinin(1-5) and Gly-Pro-Hyp, and also the inhibitor, apstatin, could protect against DEP inactivation. These results suggest that histidine residues are critical for AP-P activity.