Rat kidney endopeptidase 24.16. Purification, physico-chemical characteristics and differential specificity towards opiates, tachykinins and neurotensin-related peptides.

Endopeptidase 24.16 was purified from rat kidney homogenate on the basis of its ability to generate the biologically inactive degradation products neurotensin (1-10) and neurotensin (11-13). On SDS gels of the proteins pooled after the last purification step, the enzyme appeared homogeneous and behaved as a 70-kDa monomer. The peptidase was not sensitive to specific inhibitors of aminopeptidases, pyroglutamyl aminopeptidase I, endopeptidase 24.11, endopeptidase 24.15, proline endopeptidase and angiotensin-converting enzyme but was potently inhibited by several metal chelators such as o-phenanthroline and EDTA and was blocked by divalent cations. The specificity of endopeptidase 24.16 towards peptides of the tachykinin, opioid and neurotensin families was examined by competition experiments of tritiated neurotensin hydrolysis as well as HPLC analysis. These results indicated that endopeptidase 24.16 could discriminate between peptides belonging to the same family. Neurotensin, Lys8-Asn9-neurotensin(8-13) and xenopsin were efficiently hydrolysed while neuromedin N and kinetensin underwent little if any proteolysis by the peptidase. Analogously, substance P and dynorphins (1-7) and (1-8) were readily proteolysed by endopeptidase 24.16 while neurokinin A, amphibian tachykinins and leucine or methionine enkephalins totally resisted degradation. By Triton X-114 phase separation, 15-20% of endopeptidase 24.16 partitioned in the detergent phase, indicating that renal endopeptidase 24.16 might exist in a genuine membrane-bound form. The equipotent solubilization of the enzyme by seven detergents of various critical miscellar concentrations confirmed the occurrence of a membrane-bound counterpart of endopeptidase 24.16. Furthermore, the absence of release elicited by phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C suggested that the enzyme was not attached by a glycosyl-phosphatidylinositol anchor in the membrane of renal microvilli. Finally, endopeptidase 24.16 could not be released from these membranes upon trypsinolysis.