Pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A-induced inhibition of human leukocyte elastase: an artifact.
Pregnancy-associated plasma protein A (PAPP-A), was reported to be an inhibitor in many in vitro systems. Since it was shown that the inhibition of coagulation and complement activity attributed to PAPP-A was in fact due to a contamination by heparin occurring during the purification process, we undertook the present study to see whether the reported PAPP-A-induced inhibition of human leukocyte elastase (HLE) could also be attributed to heparin contamination. PAPP-A was purified from maternal pregnancy EDTA plasma by a method which was previously shown to eliminate contaminating heparin: this preparation was inactive in the HLE assay. But PAPP-A isolated by heparin-Sepharose chromatography, or a PAPP-A-free washing of the heparin-Sepharose column were both inhibitors of HLE. Furthermore the inactive PAPP-A preparation, when incubated with the PAPP-A-free washing of the heparin-Sepharose column, yielded a high molecular weight preparation which inhibited HLE. It is concluded that PAPP-A is not an inhibitor of HLE and that the inhibition of HLE previously attributed to PAPP-A was due to contaminating heparin.
Département de Gynécologie et d'Obstétrique, Université de Genève, Suisse.
P
P
Bischof
A
A
Gervaix
A
A
Meisser
S
S
Suter
D002850:Chromatography, Gel; D002852:Chromatography, Ion Exchange; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D005260:Female; D006098:Granulocytes / Q000378:metabolism*; D006493:Heparin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006801:Humans; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D010196:Pancreatic Elastase / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors*; D011257:Pregnancy Proteins / Q000502:physiology*; D011266:Pregnancy-Associated Plasma Protein-A / Q000502:physiology*
D011257:Pregnancy Proteins; D006493:Heparin; D010196:Pancreatic Elastase; D011266:Pregnancy-Associated Plasma Protein-A