Purification and characterization of putative endothelin converting enzyme in bovine adrenal medulla: Evidence for a cathepsin D-like enzyme

Tatsuya Sawamura, Sadao Kimura, Osamu Shinmi, Yoshiki Sugita, Masashi Yanagisawa, Katsutoshi Goto, Tomoh Masaki

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

78 Scopus citations

Abstract

A specific and sensitive assay has been established for measurement of endothelin converting activity in a tissue extract. This assay is based on measuring endothelin-1 generated from big endothelin-1 by endothelin converting enzyme (ECE) with radioimmunoassay using an endothelin C-terminal specific antibody. By using this assay, we purified and characterized ECE in bovineadrenomedullary chromaffin granules. ECE was purified over 3,000 times by a combination of DEAE, hydrophobic and gel filtration chromatography. A molecular weight of ECE was estimated to be approximately 30,000 by gel filtration. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis revealed that ECE had three major components with estimated molecular weights of 45,000, 30,000 and 15,000 like bovine spleen cathepsin D. ECE had a pH optimum at 3.5 and was inhibited by pepstatin. These results strongly suggest that ECE is a cathepsin D-like aspartic protease.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)1230-1236
Number of pages7
JournalBiochemical and Biophysical Research Communications
Volume168
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - May 16 1990

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Biophysics
  • Biochemistry
  • Molecular Biology
  • Cell Biology

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