A supernatant fraction was prepared from rat uterine myometrium by homogenization, sonication and centrifugation. In this supernatant the protein concentration and the activities of an acid proteinase, an acid phosphatase and a proteinase inhibitor were measured. From the fibrous sediment, after washing with 0.5% Triton X-100 and with water, an actomyosin-containing solution was obtained by ext...

1. Streptococcal proteinase is derived from an inactive precursor found in culture filtrates of proteinase-producing streptococci. 2. The precursor can be converted into the proteinase by low concentrations of trypsin but not by chymotrypsin. 3. In cultures grown in suitable media the conversion of precursor to proteinase is effected autocatalytically. This reaction occurs under reducing condit...

Male Sprague-Dawley rats that received 60% total body surface, full-thickness, scald burns on the dorsum and abdomen were used in this study. Neutral proteinase and Ca2+-activated neutral proteinase activities were measured in gastrocnemius and soleus muscles at 3 and 21 days after the thermal injury. Neutral proteinase activity decreased significantly in the soleus (50%) and gastrocnemius (46%...

We have purified and characterized a neutral proteinase activity from pig uterine myometrium. The proteinase co-purified with the actomyosin complex and could only be separated from it by a high concentration of a chaotropic ion, 3M-NaBr. The proteinase was further purified by gel filtration and affinity chromatography. The purified protein showed a single band on sodium dodecyl sulphate/polyac...

In order better to understand the pathophysiology of the equine form of emphysema, two elastinolytic enzymes from horse neutrophils, referred to as proteinases 2A and 2B, have been extensively characterized and compared with the human neutrophil proteinases, proteinase-3 and elastase. Specificity studies using both the oxidized insulin B-chain and synthetic peptides revealed that cleavage of pe...