To enable its immunohistologic localization, angiotensin converting enzyme (EC 3.4.15.1) from human lung was solubilized by trypsinization and purified ∼2,660-fold to apparent homogeneity from a washed lung particulate fraction. The specific activity of pure enzyme was estimated to be 117 μmol/min per mg protein with the substrate hippuryl-l-histidyl-l-leucine. Consistent with previously described lung enzyme studies, catalytic activity was strongly inhibited by EDTA, O-phenanthroline, SQ 20,881, and SQ 14,225 and increased by CoCl2. SQ 20,881 was a somewhat more potent inhibitor than SQ 14,225, unlike rabbit lung enzyme. The Michaelis constant (Km) with hippuryl-l-histidyl-l-leucine was 1.6 mM. The molecular weight was estimated at 150,000 from sucrose density gradient centrifugation. Sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis revealed a single polypeptide chain estimated at 130,000 daltons.
Joan Friedland, Emanuel Silverstein, Martin Drooker, Charlotte Setton
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