A rapid fluorometric assay for the proteolytic activity of SKI-1/S1P based on the surface glycoprotein of the hemorrhagic fever Lassa virus.

The subtilase subtilisin kexin isozyme-1 (SKI-1)/site 1 protease (S1P), has been implicated in the processing of Lassa virus glycoprotein C (GP-C) precursor into GP1 and GP2 that are responsible for viral fusion with the host cell membrane. Here, we studied in vitro the kinetics of this cleavage by hSKI-1 using an intramolecularly quenched fluorogenic (IQF) peptide, Q-GPC(251-263) [Abz-(251)Asp-Ile-Tyr-Ile-Ser-Arg-Arg-Leu-Leu/Gly-Thr-Phe-Thr(263)-3-NitroTyr-Ala-CONH(2)], containing the identified site. The measured V(max (app))/K(m (app)) was compared to those for other IQF SKI-substrates. Q-GPC(251-263) is cleaved 10-fold more efficiently than the previously known best SKI-substrate, Q-hproSKI(134-142). This study confirmed the role of SKI-1 in GP-C processing and provides a novel, rapid and efficient enzymatic assay of SKI-1.