Proteolytic enzymes released from granulocytes upon stimulation with the chemotactic N-formyl peptide FNLPNTL (in the presence of cytochalasin B) prevented activation of tumor cell single-chain urokinase-type plasminogen activator (prouPA) by plasmin. Elastase was identified by the use of eglin C (elastase inhibitor) and a monoclonai antibody to elastase as the functional proteolytic enzyme in granulocyte supernatants. Action of purified granulocyte elastase on pro-uPA generated enzymatically inactive two-chain uPA linked by disulfide bridges which was indistinguishable by SDS-PAGE from plasmin-generated HMW-uPA. The major elastase cleavage site in pro-uPA was located between Ile 159 and Ilca°°; a minor one between Thr 1~5 and Thr TM. Elastase cannot substitute for plasmin in the proteolytic activation of pro-uPA to enzymatically active HMW-uPA. However, when pro-uPA was first activated by plasmin to form enzymatically active HMW-uPA, this enzymatic activity was not impaired by sfibsequent elastase treatment.
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