DAEH N-terminal sequence of avian serum albumins as catalytic center of Cu (II)-dependent organophosphorus hydrolyzing A-esterase activity.

O-hexyl O-2,5-dichlorophenyl phosphoramidate (HDCP) induces delayed neuropathy. The R (+)-HDCP inhibits and caused the so call "aging reaction" on inhibited-NTE. This enantiomer is not hydrolyzed by Ca(II)-dependent A-esterases in mammal tissues but is hydrolyzed by Cu(II)-dependent chicken serum albumin (CSA). With the aim of identifying HDCP hydrolysis by other vertebrate albumins, we incubated albumin with 400 μM racemic HDCP in the presence of 100 μM copper sulfate. HDCPase activity was assessed by measurement of HDCP with chiral chromatography. Human, sheep, dog, pig, lamprey or cobra serum albumin did not show a significant activity (~10%). Rabbit and bovine albumins hydrolyzed both enantiomers of HDCP (25% and 50% respectively). Turkey serum albumin had more HDCPase activity (~80 μM remaining) than the chicken albumin (~150 μM remaining). No animal albumins other than chicken showed stereoselective hydrolysis. Preincubation of chicken albumin with 1 mM the histidine modifying agents, 100 μM N-bromosuccinimide (NBS) and Zn(II), inhibited its Cu(II)-dependent R (+)-HDCPase activity, where as other mM amino acids modifiers had no inhibitory effects. . These results confirm that the stereoselective hydrolysis of (+)-HDCP is a specific A-esterase catalytic property of chicken albumin. The higher HDCPase activity by turkey albumin suggests the amino-terminal sequence of avian albumins (DAEHK) is the active center of this Cu(II)-dependent A-esterase activity.