Determination of pepstatin-sensitive carboxyl proteases by using pepstatinyldansyldiaminopropane (dansyl-pepstatin) as an active site titrant.

N-Pepstatinyl-N'-dansyldiaminopropane (dansyl-pepstatin) was prepared by the coupling of pepstatin A and N-dansyl-diaminopropane. The dansyl-pepstatin obtained strongly inhibited pepsin activity by forming a 1:1 complex. The fluorescence of the dansyl group (excitation at 320 nm, and emission near 520 nm) increased with the formation of the complex. The increase in fluorescence of dansyl-pepstatin solution was proportional to the amount of added pepsin, chymosin and cathepsin D until dansyl-pepstatin was saturated by these enzymes and at higher protease concentrations the fluorescence did not increase further. Therefore, the net amounts of active pepstatin-sensitive carboxyl proteases could be determined by detecting the inflection point of increased fluorescence upon addition of the protease to a dansyl-pepstatin solution of known concentration. Moreover, the protease concentrations of many samples were obtained easily by measurements of increased fluorescence compared with that caused by authentic protease solution. The minimum detectable amount of pepsin was about 20 pmol. On the other hand, the fluorescence did not increase upon mixing with inactivated pepsin, chymotrypsin, or trypsin. The K(i) value of dansyl-pepstatin for pepsin was similar to that of pepstatin A. It was possible to determine the amount of chymosin contained in rennet by this method. The inactivation curve of pepsin in pH 6.5 buffer was also determined quickly and easily by the use of this method. This assay method for pepstatin-sensitive carboxyl proteases is very simple and easy, and it is possible to determine the net amounts of active pepstatin-sensitive carboxyl proteases even in crude mixtures.