Thioltrypsin. Chemical transformation of the active-site serine residue of Streptomyces griseus trypsin to a cysteine residue.

The active-site serine residue of Streptomyces griseus trypsin was converted to a cysteine residue, and the product, thioltrypsin, was purified through two chromatographic steps with organomercurial-Sepharose and soybean trypsin inhibitor-Sepharose as specific adsorbents. The purified preparation of thioltrypsin was found to contain a single residue of cysteine and to react with almost equimolar amounts of normality titrants. It exhibited only traces of catalytic activity toward typical trypsin substrates such as Nalpha-tosyl-L-arginine methyl ester, whereas it retained some activity toward "active ester" substrates such as Nalpha-carbobenzoxy-L-lysine p-nitrophenyl ester. The activity was inhibited by sulfhydryl-blocking reagents, but no inhibition was observed by reagents reactive with the active hydroxyl group of serine proteases. Leupeptin, a natural trypsin inhibitor of peptidyl nature, also inhibited thioltrypsin. Some difference in the mode of leupeptin inhibition, however, was detected between trypsin and thioltrypsin. The bindings of small synthetic ligands and soybean trypsin inhibitor to thioltrypsin were compared with those to trypsin.