title: Purification and characterization of a human neutrophil neutral protease. The neutral peptide-generating protease.
abstract: A human neutrophil neutral protease which generates a low molecular weight peptide from a plasma protein substrate and cleaves the basic amino acid ester substrates alpha-N-p-tosyl-l-arginine methyl ester HCl, alpha-N-benzoyl-l-arginine-methyl ester HCl, and alpha-N-carbobenzoxy-l-lysine-p-nitrophenyl ester has been purified to homogeneity and distinguished from the known lysosomal neutrophil proteases. The starting activity was obtained from purified human neutrophils by homogenization, sedimentation by low-speed centrifugation, and high salt elution of the insoluble material. Purification was achieved by aprotinin-affinity chromatography, precipitation at low ionic strength, and gel filtration. The overall recovery, relative to the activity in the starting eluate of the neutrophil fraction, was congruent with50% with a 200- to 400-fold increase in specific activity. After treatment with diisopropylfluorophosphate to eliminate autodegradation, sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of reduced and unreduced protein gave a single protein band of 29,000-30,000 mol wt. The isoelectric point determined in sucrose gradients ranged from pH 7.8 to 8.3 with a peak at pH 8.0. This neutrophil protease, like cathepsin G and elastase, is composed of a single polypeptide chain of congruent with30,000 mol wt, but differs from cathepsin G and elastase in its less cationic isoelectric point and its failure to cleave synthetic substrates presenting an aromatic amino acid ester linkage and alanyl peptide bonds, respectively.
mesh_terms: D002846:Chromatography, Affinity; D002850:Chromatography, Gel; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D006801:Humans; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D007526:Isoelectric Point; D009504:Neutrophils / Q000201:enzymology*; D010447:Peptide Hydrolases / Q000302:isolation & purification*
chemical_list: D010447:Peptide Hydrolases