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Specific and efficient peptide substrates for assaying the proteolytic activity of prostate-specific antigen

Denmeade, Samuel R. ; Lou, Wei ; Lövgren, Janita ; Malm, Johan LU ; Lilja, Hans LU orcid and Isaacs, John T. (1997) In Cancer Research 57(21). p.4924-4930
Abstract

Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is a serine protease secreted by hath normal prostate glandular celts and prostate cancer cells. The major proteolytic substrates for PSA are the gel-forming proteins in semen, semenogelin (Sg) I and II. On the basis of the PSA cleavage map for Sg I and II, a series of small peptides (ie., ≤ 7 amino acids) was synthesized and coupled at the COOH terminus to 7-amino-4-methyl coumarin. Using these fluorescently tagged substrates, K(m)s and k(cm)s were determined for PSA hydrolysis, and the substrates were also tested for activity against a panel of purified proteases. Previously, a variety of chymotrypsin substrates have been used to assay the enzymatic activity of PSA. The present studies have identified a... (More)

Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is a serine protease secreted by hath normal prostate glandular celts and prostate cancer cells. The major proteolytic substrates for PSA are the gel-forming proteins in semen, semenogelin (Sg) I and II. On the basis of the PSA cleavage map for Sg I and II, a series of small peptides (ie., ≤ 7 amino acids) was synthesized and coupled at the COOH terminus to 7-amino-4-methyl coumarin. Using these fluorescently tagged substrates, K(m)s and k(cm)s were determined for PSA hydrolysis, and the substrates were also tested for activity against a panel of purified proteases. Previously, a variety of chymotrypsin substrates have been used to assay the enzymatic activity of PSA. The present studies have identified a peptide sequence with a high degree of specificity for PSA (i.e., no detectable hydrolysis by chymotrypsin) and improved K(m)s and k(cat)s over previously used substrates. On the basis of these parameters, the best peptide substrate for PSA has the amino acid sequence HSSKLQ. Using PC-82 human prostate cancer xenografts and human prostate tissues, this PSA substrate was used to document that prostate cancer cells secrete enzymatically active PSA into the extracellular fluid but that once in the blood, PSA is not enzymatically active. On the basis of this information, it should be possible to use the HSSKLQ peptide as a carrier to target peptide- coupled prodrugs for selective activation within sites of PSA-secreting, metastatic prostate cancer cells and not within the blood or other nonprostatic normal tissues.

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author
; ; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Cancer Research
volume
57
issue
21
pages
4924 - 4930
publisher
American Association for Cancer Research Inc.
external identifiers
  • pmid:9354459
  • scopus:0030728733
ISSN
0008-5472
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
a901666b-e152-43e0-963e-b06dbfa6f262
alternative location
https://aacrjournals.org/cancerres/article/57/21/4924/503820/Specific-and-Efficient-Peptide-Substrates-for
date added to LUP
2022-12-06 16:30:41
date last changed
2024-04-04 13:50:27
@article{a901666b-e152-43e0-963e-b06dbfa6f262,
  abstract     = {{<p>Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is a serine protease secreted by hath normal prostate glandular celts and prostate cancer cells. The major proteolytic substrates for PSA are the gel-forming proteins in semen, semenogelin (Sg) I and II. On the basis of the PSA cleavage map for Sg I and II, a series of small peptides (ie., ≤ 7 amino acids) was synthesized and coupled at the COOH terminus to 7-amino-4-methyl coumarin. Using these fluorescently tagged substrates, K(m)s and k(cm)s were determined for PSA hydrolysis, and the substrates were also tested for activity against a panel of purified proteases. Previously, a variety of chymotrypsin substrates have been used to assay the enzymatic activity of PSA. The present studies have identified a peptide sequence with a high degree of specificity for PSA (i.e., no detectable hydrolysis by chymotrypsin) and improved K(m)s and k(cat)s over previously used substrates. On the basis of these parameters, the best peptide substrate for PSA has the amino acid sequence HSSKLQ. Using PC-82 human prostate cancer xenografts and human prostate tissues, this PSA substrate was used to document that prostate cancer cells secrete enzymatically active PSA into the extracellular fluid but that once in the blood, PSA is not enzymatically active. On the basis of this information, it should be possible to use the HSSKLQ peptide as a carrier to target peptide- coupled prodrugs for selective activation within sites of PSA-secreting, metastatic prostate cancer cells and not within the blood or other nonprostatic normal tissues.</p>}},
  author       = {{Denmeade, Samuel R. and Lou, Wei and Lövgren, Janita and Malm, Johan and Lilja, Hans and Isaacs, John T.}},
  issn         = {{0008-5472}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{11}},
  number       = {{21}},
  pages        = {{4924--4930}},
  publisher    = {{American Association for Cancer Research Inc.}},
  series       = {{Cancer Research}},
  title        = {{Specific and efficient peptide substrates for assaying the proteolytic activity of prostate-specific antigen}},
  url          = {{https://aacrjournals.org/cancerres/article/57/21/4924/503820/Specific-and-Efficient-Peptide-Substrates-for}},
  volume       = {{57}},
  year         = {{1997}},
}