Photochemical & Photobiological Sciences 2006-03-01

A simple procedure for the photoregulation of chymotrypsin activity.

Stephen Thompson, Marie-Claude Fawcett, Lesley B Pulman, Colin H Self

Index: Photochem. Photobiol. Sci. 5(3) , 326-30, (2006)

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Abstract

A convenient and rapid method for the photo-regulation of the proteolytic enzyme alpha-chymotrypsin is described. When alpha-chymotrypsin is coated with photolytic 1-(2-nitrophenyl)ethanol residues this not only markedly reduces the capability of the enzyme to digest both of the small substrates N-benzoyl-L-tyrosine ethyl ester and N-succinyl-L-phenylalanine p-nitroanilide, but also completely inhibits the enzyme's proteolytic activity. The inactivated alpha-chymotrypsin can then be reactivated under physiological conditions, when and where it is required, by exposure to UV-A light. These results further demonstrate that 1-(2-nitrophenyl)ethanol coated proteins can often be used as light sensitive biological switches as a simple alternative to site directed procedures.