Proteolysis
Encyclopedia
Proteolysis is the directed degradation (digestion) of protein
s by cellular enzyme
s called protease
s or by intramolecular digestion.
Proteolysis is also used in research and diagnostic applications:
s, can also cause proteolysis. These venoms are, in fact, complex digestive fluids that begin their work outside of the body. Proteolytic venoms cause a wide range of toxic effects, including effects that are:
Protein
Proteins are biochemical compounds consisting of one or more polypeptides typically folded into a globular or fibrous form, facilitating a biological function. A polypeptide is a single linear polymer chain of amino acids bonded together by peptide bonds between the carboxyl and amino groups of...
s by cellular enzyme
Enzyme
Enzymes are proteins that catalyze chemical reactions. In enzymatic reactions, the molecules at the beginning of the process, called substrates, are converted into different molecules, called products. Almost all chemical reactions in a biological cell need enzymes in order to occur at rates...
s called protease
Protease
A protease is any enzyme that conducts proteolysis, that is, begins protein catabolism by hydrolysis of the peptide bonds that link amino acids together in the polypeptide chain forming the protein....
s or by intramolecular digestion.
Purposes
Proteolysis is used by the cell for several purposes. They include:- Removal of N-terminal methionineMethionineMethionine is an α-amino acid with the chemical formula HO2CCHCH2CH2SCH3. This essential amino acid is classified as nonpolar. This amino-acid is coded by the codon AUG, also known as the initiation codon, since it indicates mRNA's coding region where translation into protein...
residues after translation. - Removal of the signal sequenceSignal peptideA signal peptide is a short peptide chain that directs the transport of a protein.Signal peptides may also be called targeting signals, signal sequences, transit peptides, or localization signals....
of peptides after their transport through a membraneCell membraneThe cell membrane or plasma membrane is a biological membrane that separates the interior of all cells from the outside environment. The cell membrane is selectively permeable to ions and organic molecules and controls the movement of substances in and out of cells. It basically protects the cell... - Separation of viral proteins that were translated from a polycistronic mRNA
- Digestion of proteins from foods as a source of amino acidAmino acidAmino acids are molecules containing an amine group, a carboxylic acid group and a side-chain that varies between different amino acids. The key elements of an amino acid are carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen...
s - Conversion of predecessor-proteins (proenzymes, zymogenZymogenA zymogen is an inactive enzyme precursor. A zymogen requires a biochemical change for it to become an active enzyme. The biochemical change usually occurs in a lysosome where a specific part of the precursor enzyme is cleaved in order to activate it...
s, prehormonePrehormoneA prehormone is a biochemical substance secreted by glandular tissue and has minimal or no significant biological activity, but it is converted in peripheral tissues into an active hormone....
s) into their final structures. - Degradation of unneeded or damaged proteins for example cyclins at different stages of the cell cycleCell cycleThe cell cycle, or cell-division cycle, is the series of events that takes place in a cell leading to its division and duplication . In cells without a nucleus , the cell cycle occurs via a process termed binary fission...
.
Proteolysis is also used in research and diagnostic applications:
- In-gel digestionIn-gel digestionThe in-gel digestion is part of the sample preparation for the mass spectrometric identification of proteins in course of proteomic analysis. The method was introduced 1992 by Rosenfeld...
of proteins after separation by gel electrophoresisGel electrophoresisGel electrophoresis is a method used in clinical chemistry to separate proteins by charge and or size and in biochemistry and molecular biology to separate a mixed population of DNA and RNA fragments by length, to estimate the size of DNA and RNA fragments or to separate proteins by charge...
for the identification by mass spectrometryMass spectrometryMass spectrometry is an analytical technique that measures the mass-to-charge ratio of charged particles.It is used for determining masses of particles, for determining the elemental composition of a sample or molecule, and for elucidating the chemical structures of molecules, such as peptides and...
. - Digestion of proteins in solution for proteome analysisProteomicsProteomics is the large-scale study of proteins, particularly their structures and functions. Proteins are vital parts of living organisms, as they are the main components of the physiological metabolic pathways of cells. The term "proteomics" was first coined in 1997 to make an analogy with...
by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometryLiquid chromatography-mass spectrometryLiquid chromatography–mass spectrometry is an analytical chemistry technique that combines the physical separation capabilities of liquid chromatography with the mass analysis capabilities of mass spectrometry. LC-MS is a powerful technique used for many applications which has very high...
(LC-MS).
Examples
Examples of serine proteases include:- trypsinTrypsinTrypsin is a serine protease found in the digestive system of many vertebrates, where it hydrolyses proteins. Trypsin is produced in the pancreas as the inactive proenzyme trypsinogen. Trypsin cleaves peptide chains mainly at the carboxyl side of the amino acids lysine or arginine, except when...
- chymotrypsinChymotrypsinChymotrypsin is a digestive enzyme that can perform proteolysis. Chymotrypsin preferentially cleaves peptide amide bonds where the carboxyl side of the amide bond is a tyrosine, tryptophan, or phenylalanine. These amino acids contain an aromatic ring in their sidechain that fits into a...
- elastaseElastaseIn molecular biology, elastase is an enzyme from the class of proteases that break down proteins.- Forms and classification:There exist eight human genes for elastase:Bacterial forms: Organisms such as P...
- papainPapainPapain, also known as papaya proteinase I, is a cysteine protease enzyme present in papaya and mountain papaya .-Papain family:...
Venoms
Certain types of venom, such as those produced by venomous snakeSnake
Snakes are elongate, legless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes that can be distinguished from legless lizards by their lack of eyelids and external ears. Like all squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales...
s, can also cause proteolysis. These venoms are, in fact, complex digestive fluids that begin their work outside of the body. Proteolytic venoms cause a wide range of toxic effects, including effects that are:
- cytotoxic (cell-destroying)
- hemotoxicHemotoxinHemotoxins, haemotoxins or hematotoxins are toxins that destroy red blood cells , disrupt blood clotting, and/or cause organ degeneration and generalized tissue damage. The term hemotoxin is to some degree a misnomer since toxins that damage the blood also damage other tissues...
(blood-destroying) - myotoxicMyotoxinMyotoxins are small, basic peptides found in snake venoms, such as in that of certain rattlesnakes. This involves a non-enzymatic mechanism that leads to severe muscle necrosis...
(muscle-destroying) - hemorrhagic (bleeding)
See also
- Proteolytic enzyme
- The Proteolysis MapThe Proteolysis MapThe Proteolysis MAP is an integrated web resource focused on proteases.-Rationale:PMAP is to aid the protease researchers in reasoning about proteolytic networks and metabolic pathways.-History and funding:...
- PROTOMAPProtomap (proteomics)PROTOMAP is a recently developed proteomic technology for identifying changes to proteins that manifest in altered migration by one-dimensional SDS-PAGE...
a proteomic technology for identifying proteolytic substrates - ProteasomeProteasomeProteasomes are very large protein complexes inside all eukaryotes and archaea, and in some bacteria. In eukaryotes, they are located in the nucleus and the cytoplasm. The main function of the proteasome is to degrade unneeded or damaged proteins by proteolysis, a chemical reaction that breaks...
- In-gel digestionIn-gel digestionThe in-gel digestion is part of the sample preparation for the mass spectrometric identification of proteins in course of proteomic analysis. The method was introduced 1992 by Rosenfeld...