Purification and characterization of a dipeptidase from Lactobacillus curvatus DPC2024

A dipeptidase was purified to homogeneity from a cell-free extract of Lactobacillus curvatus DPC2024 by chromatography on diethylaminoethyl-sephacel, phenyl sepharose, chelating sepharose fast flow and MonoQ. The purified dipeptidase was a monomer of ~52 kDa as determined by sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and gel filtration chromatography. The enzyme was optimally active at pH 8 and 50°C and retained ~10% of its maximum activity after pre-heating for 10 min at 70°C. The enzyme was a metallopeptidase, strongly inhibited by 0.1 mM ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid and o-phenanthroline and reactivated by a number of divalent metal ions. The enzyme was also inhibited by p-chloromercuribenzoate and β-mercaptoethanol. The enzyme was a strict dipeptidase, capable of hydrolysing a range of dipeptides but not tri-, tetra- or pentapeptides, p-nitroanilide derivatives of amino acids nor N- and C-terminal-blocked dipeptides. The N-terminal amino acid sequence of the first 20 residues showed significant homology with dipeptidases from Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. lactis DSM 7290 and Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris MG1363. Copyright (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd.