Crystal structure of the parasite inhibitor chagasin in complex with papain allows identification of structural requirements for broad reactivity and specificity determinants for target proteases
A complex of chagasin, a protein inhibitor from Trypanosoma cruzi, and papain, a classic family C1 cysteine protease, has been crystallized. Kinetic studies revealed that inactivation of papain by chagasin is very fast (k(on) = 1.5 x 10(6) m(-1).s(-1)), and results in the formation of a very tight, reversible complex (K-i = 36 pm), with similar or better rate and equilibrium constants than those f