Transport and activation of the vacuolar aspartic proteinase phytepsin in barley (Hordeum vulgare L.).

The primary translation product of barley aspartic proteinase, phytepsin (EC 3.4.23.40), consists of a signal sequence, a propart, and mature enzyme forms. Here, we describe post-translational processing and activation of phytepsin during its transport to the vacuole in roots, as detected by using metabolic labeling and immunoprecipitation. After removal of the signal sequence, the glycosylated precursor of 53 kDa (P53) was produced and further processed to polypeptides of 31 and 15 kDa (P31 + P15) and, subsequently, to polypeptides of 26 and 9 kDa (P26 + P9), 45 min and 24 h after synthesis, respectively. The processing occurred in a late-Golgi compartment or post-Golgi compartment, because brefeldin A inhibited the processing, and P53 acquired partial endoglycosidase H resistance 30 min after synthesis, whereas P15 was completely resistant. The N-glycosylation inhibitor tunicamycin had no effect on transport, but the absence of glycans on P53 accelerated the proteolytic processing. Phytepsin was also expressed in baculovirus-infected insect cells. The recombinant prophytepsin underwent autoproteolytic activation in vitro and showed enzymatic properties similar to the enzyme purified from grains. However, a comparison of the in vitro/in vivo processing sites revealed slight differences, indicating that additional proteases are needed for the completion of the maturation in vivo.