Ca2+ and Zn2+ binding properties of peptide substrates of vertebrate collagenase, MMP-1

To understand the role of Ca(2+) in vertebrate in the structure and action of collagenase, we have examined peptides that interact with recombinant human fibroblast collagenase for their affinities towards Ca(2+) and Zn(2+) in a non-polar solvent. Two of the peptides, GPQGIAGQ and GNVGLAGA, had sequences in collagen which are, respectively, cleaved and not cleaved by collagenase. A third peptide, PSYFLNAG, had a collagenase-cleaved sequence in ovostatin, a globular protein substrate. Peptides TVGCEECTV and CLPREPGL were derived from TIMP-1; the former competitively inhibits collagenase while the latter does not. The relative rates of hydrolysis of the peptides by collagenase had the order GPQGIAGQ>PSYFLNAG>GNVGLAGA. Circular dichroism spectral data in trifluoroethanol showed that while the TIMP control peptide, CLPREPGL, bound only Zn(2+), the other four peptides bound both Ca(2+) and Zn(2+) with definite stoichiometries. Ca(2+) could displace Zn(2+) in the substrate peptides while Zn(2+) displaced Ca(2+) in the TIMP peptide. GPQGIAGQ, PSYFLNAG and TVGCEECTV formed peptide:Ca(2+):Zn(2+) ternary complexes. Our results suggest that both collagen and globular protein substrates of collagenase may bind Ca(2+) and Zn(2+) in the enzyme's active site. This, in turn, may account for the known importance of the non-catalytic Ca(2+) and Zn(2+) in collagenase activity.