title: Role of plasma and serum proteases in the degradation of elastin.
abstract: Accelerated proteolysis of tropoelastin and elastin occurs in the major arteries of chicks fed copper-deficient diets. Signs of elastin degradation are not obvious in normal arteries of copper-supplemented chicks. It is proposed that the sources of proteases that effect elastin degradation are from plasma and serum. Both calcium-dependent proteases and kallikrein were effective in degrading tropoelastin and partially crosslinked insoluble elastin into peptides similar to those detected in aortic extracts from copper-deficient chicks. As dietary copper deficiency progresses it is also possible to detect elastin peptides in plasma.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002384:Catalysis; D002645:Chickens; D003300:Copper / Q000172:deficiency; D003720:Densitometry; D004549:Elastin / Q000097:blood*; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D007120:Immunochemistry; D010447:Peptide Hydrolases / Q000097:blood*; D010949:Plasma / Q000201:enzymology; D011480:Protease Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D012995:Solubility; D013379:Substrate Specificity; D014333:Tropoelastin / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D011480:Protease Inhibitors; D014333:Tropoelastin; D003300:Copper; D004549:Elastin; D010447:Peptide Hydrolases