Flow cytometric determination of aminopeptidase activities in viable cells using fluorogenic rhodamine 110 substrates

Aminopeptidases (AP) are ubiquitously occurring, nonspecific exopeptidases involved in protein degradation. They cleave the N-terminal amino acid of peptides and occur in practically all mammalian cells and tissues. Physiological and pathological processes such as metastasis of tumors and inflammation have been thought to involve changes in AP activities. Determination of AP (EC 3.4.11.X) activity in viable cells by flow cytometry was the subject of this study because of its general biological and clinical interest. Different bis-substituted rhodamine 110 (R110) peptide derivatives were synthesised and used as AP- and exopeptidase (EC 3.4.13.X-EC 3.4.14.X) substrates for flow cytometric measurements. Intracellular AP activities in viable lympho-, mono-, granulo-, and thrombocytes were detected by fluorescence increase from R110 following intracellular substrate cleavage. Eukaryotic-AP do not cleave D-amino acids and hence NH2(D-Leu)2R110 substrate served as negative control. Specific substrate cleavage by AP is shown by complete inhibition of flFLuorescence generation following preincubation of cells with leucine-chloromethylketone inhibitor. R110 AP- and exopeptidase substrates are suitable indicators for coupled endopeptidase reactions due to their rapid cleavage and largely pH independent generation of intracellular fluorescence.