Exposure to [
14C]-3,4-dichloroisocoumarin(DCI) of multicatalytic proteinase complexes (MPC)isolated from bovine pituitary and spleen leads to label incorporationinto several
-type subunits, torapid inactivation of the chymotrypsin-like (ChT-L) activity, and to aslower inactivation of other activitiesof the MPC. The pituitary and spleen MPCs differ in that the firstcontains almost exclusively the X, Y,and Z subunits, whereas in the latter these subunits are largelyreplaced by LMP2, LMP7, and MECL1.Preincubation with two peptidyl aledhyde inhibitors of the ChT-Lactivity protected the X subunit in thepituitary MPC and unexpectedly the LMP2 subunit in the spleen MPC fromlabel incorporation, despitethe greater a
mino acid sequence homology of the LMP7 subunit to that ofthe X subunit. Losses in theyield of a
mino acids in both subunits, shown by a
mino acid sequencing,and lability of the DCI-proteinbond indicated formation of an acyl derivative by reaction of DCI withthe threonine OH group. Briefexposure to [
14C]-DCI led to preferential incorporationof label into the LMP2 and X subunits, consistentwith the high inactivation rate constants of the ChT-L activity.Z-LLF-CHO, an inhibitor of ChT-L activity,but not Z-GPFL-CHO, an inhibitor of the branched chain a
mino acidpreferring component, preventedincorporation of radioactivity into the X subunits, whereas bothinhibitors prevented label incorporationinto LMP2, indicating differences in susceptibility to inhibitionbetween the two components. These andother data are consistent with involvement of the X and LMP2 subunitsin expression of the ChT-Lactivity in the pituitary and spleen MPC, respectively, and suggest thecatalytic functions of two other
-subunits.