IgA-specific metalloendopeptidase explained

IgA-specific metalloendopeptidase
Ec Number:	3.4.24.13
Cas Number:	72231-73-3

IgA-specific metalloendopeptidase (immunoglobulin A1 proteinase, IgA protease, IgA1-specific proteinase, IgA1 protease, IgA1 proteinase) is an enzyme.^{[1] [2] [3]} This enzyme catalyses the following chemical reaction:

Cleavage of Pro-Thr bond in the hinge region of the heavy chain of human immunoglobulin A

This enzyme is present in several pathogenic species of Streptococcus.

Other species, for instance bacteria that cause meningitis, gonorrhea, some cases of pneumonia, sinusitis and ear infections also produce an enzyme that cleaves IgA, but this is a serine protease and is metal-independent.^[4]

Notes and References

1. Kornfeld SJ, Plaut AG . Secretory immunity and the bacterial IgA proteases . Reviews of Infectious Diseases . 3 . 3 . 521–34 . 1981 . 6792682 . 10.1093/clinids/3.3.521 .
2. Gilbert JV, Plaut AG, Wright A . Analysis of the immunoglobulin A protease gene of Streptococcus sanguis . Infection and Immunity . 59 . 1 . 7–17 . January 1991 . 1987065 . 257698 .
3. Gilbert JV, Plaut AG, Fishman Y, Wright A . Cloning of the gene encoding streptococcal immunoglobulin A protease and its expression in Escherichia coli . Infection and Immunity . 56 . 8 . 1961–6 . August 1988 . 3294181 . 259508 .
4. Parsons HK, Vitovski S, Sayers JR . Immunoglobulin A1 proteases: a structure-function update . Biochemical Society Transactions . 32 . Pt 6 . 1130–2 . December 2004 . 15506988 . 10.1042/BST0321130 .