Separation of the protective enzyme bleomycin hydrolase from rabbit pulmonary aminopeptidases

Bleomycin (BLM) hydrolase inactivates the BLM class of antitumor antibiotics and protects against BLM-induced pulmonary fibrosis. This enzyme is poorly characterized but believed to be an aminopeptidase B. In the present report, both BLM hydrolase and aminopeptidase B from rabbit pulmonary cytosol were retained by arginyl-Sepharose and BLM-Sepharose affinity columns, further suggesting that these two enzymes are similar. When, however, BLM hydrolase was purified over 1800-fold by using our newly developed high-speed liquid chromatography assay for BLM hydrolase coupled with fast protein liquid chromatography, we found that this partially purified BLM hydrolase preparation lacked aminopeptidase B activity. Furthermore, BLM hydrolase was completely separated, by using anion-exchange Mono Q chromatography, from all the aminopeptidases identified in rabbit pulmonary cytosol: one aminopeptidase B, two aminopeptidases N, and one aminopeptidase with both aminopeptidase B and aminopeptidase N activities. Pulmonary BLM hydrolase also had a higher molecular weight than pulmonary aminopeptidase B. In contrast to aminopeptidase B, BLM hydrolase was not activated by NaCl and was much less stable at 4 degrees C. In addition, bestatin was a potent inhibitor of aminopeptidase B but had little effect on BLM hydrolase, while leupeptin was a potent inhibitor of BLM hydrolase but was less effective against aminopeptidase B. Thus, pulmonary BLM hydrolase and aminopeptidase B have affinity for each other's substrate, but they are clearly distinct enzymes on the basis of charge characteristics, molecular weight, stability, and sensitivity to inhibitors and activators.