AEBSF


AEBSF or 4-benzenesulfonyl fluoride hydrochloride is a water-soluble, irreversible serine protease inhibitor with a molecular weight of 239.5 Da. It inhibits proteases like chymotrypsin, kallikrein, plasmin, thrombin, and trypsin. The specificity is similar to the inhibitor PMSF, nevertheless AEBSF is more stable at low pH values. Typical usage is 0.1 - 1.0 mM.

Mechanism of action

Both AEBSF and PMSF are sulfonyl fluorides and are sulfonylating agents. Sulfonyl fluorides act by reacting with the hydroxy group of the active site serine residue to form a sulfonyl enzyme derivative. This derivative may be stable for long periods of time except at high pH.

Use in cholesterol regulation studies

AEBSF is extensively used in studies aiming to describe cholesterol regulatory genes due to its potent ability to inhibit Site-1-protease. This serine protease, located in the Golgi apparatus, is responsible for activating the sterol regulatory element-binding proteins. By selectively inhibiting S1P, AEBSF can be used to characterize the downstream result of SREBP inhibition and its influence on cholesterol regulation.