cd06460

Peptidase family M32 includes thermostable carboxypeptidases TaqCP and PfuCP; Peptidase family M32 is a subclass of metallocarboxypeptidases which are distributed mainly in bacteria and archaea, and contain a HEXXH motif that coordinates a divalent cation such as Zn2+ or Co2+, so far only observed in the active site of neutral metallopeptidases but not in carboxypeptidases. M32 includes the thermostable carboxypeptidases (E.C. 3.4.17.19) from Thermus aquaticus (TaqCP) and Pyrococcus furiosus (PfuCP), which have broad specificities toward a wide range of C-terminal substrates that include basic, aromatic, neutral and polar amino acids. These enzymes have a similar fold to the M3 peptidases such as neurolysin and the M2 angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE). Novel peptidases from protozoa Trypanosoma cruzi, a causative agent of Chagas' disease, and Leishmania major, a parasite that causes leishmaniasis, are the first eukaryotic M32 enzymes identified so far, thus making these enzymes an attractive potential target for drug development against these organisms.