Skip to main content
PMC home page
The Journal of Experimental Medicine logoLink to The Journal of Experimental Medicine
. 1972 Jan 1;135(1):1–20. doi: 10.1084/jem.135.1.1

PLASMA PREKALLIKREIN: ISOLATION, CHARACTERIZATION, AND MECHANISM OF ACTIVATION

Kirk D Wuepper 1, Charles G Cochrane 1
PMCID: PMC2139124  PMID: 4536682

Abstract

The precursor of the kinin-forming enzyme, prekallikrein, was isolated from rabbit plasma protected from activation during preparatory procedures. Prekallikrein was shown to be a 4.5S γ1-glycoprotein with an isoelectric point of 5.9 and a mol wt of 99,900. The proenzyme was activated at neutral pH by an enzyme from rabbit or human plasma we have termed prekallikrein activator (PKA) or by trypsin. Prekallikrein was activated by PKA by a process of enzymatic scission. This resulted in the appearance of two fragments; the larger of these possessed kallikrein activity.

Full Text

The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (1.1 MB).

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Andrews P. The gel-filtration behaviour of proteins related to their molecular weights over a wide range. Biochem J. 1965 Sep;96(3):595–606. doi: 10.1042/bj0960595. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Cochrane C. G., Wuepper K. D. The first component of the kinin-forming system in human and rabbit plasma. Its relationship to clotting factor XII (Hageman Factor). J Exp Med. 1971 Oct 1;134(4):986–1004. doi: 10.1084/jem.134.4.986. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Colman R. W., Mattler L., Sherry S. Studies on the prekallikrein (kallikreinogen)--kallikrein enzyme system of human plasma. I. Isolation and purification of plasma kallikreins. J Clin Invest. 1969 Jan;48(1):11–22. doi: 10.1172/JCI105959. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. DAVIES G. E., LOWE J. S. PRESENCE OF KALLIKREIN IN THE GAMMA-GLOBULIN PERMEABILITY FACTOR OF GUINEA-PIG SERUM. Br J Pharmacol Chemother. 1963 Dec;21:491–499. doi: 10.1111/j.1476-5381.1963.tb02017.x. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. DAVIS B. J. DISC ELECTROPHORESIS. II. METHOD AND APPLICATION TO HUMAN SERUM PROTEINS. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 1964 Dec 28;121:404–427. doi: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.1964.tb14213.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. EISEN V. EFFECT OF HEXADIMETHRINE BROMIDE ON PLASMA KININ FORMATION, HYDROLYSIS OF P-TOSYL-L-ARGININE METHYL ESTER AND FIBRINOLYSIS. Br J Pharmacol Chemother. 1964 Feb;22:87–103. doi: 10.1111/j.1476-5381.1964.tb01546.x. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Habermann E., Klett W. Reinigung und einige Eigenschaften eines Kallikreins aus Schweineserum. Biochem Z. 1966 Sep 8;346(2):133–158. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Kaplan A. P., Austen K. F. A pre-albumin activator of prekallikrein. J Immunol. 1970 Oct;105(4):802–811. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Kaplan A. P., Austen K. F. A prealbumin activator of prekallikrein. II. Derivation of activators of prekallikrein from active Hageman factor by digestion with plasmin. J Exp Med. 1971 Apr 1;133(4):696–712. doi: 10.1084/jem.133.4.696. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. MULLER-EBERHARD H. J. A new supporting medium for preparative electrophoresis. Scand J Clin Lab Invest. 1960;12:33–37. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. McConahey P. J., Dixon F. J. A method of trace iodination of proteins for immunologic studies. Int Arch Allergy Appl Immunol. 1966;29(2):185–189. doi: 10.1159/000229699. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Nagasawa S., Takahashi H., Koida M., Suzuki T., Schoenmakers J. G. Partial purification of bovine plasma kallikreinogen, its activation by the Hageman factor. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 1968 Aug 21;32(4):644–649. doi: 10.1016/0006-291x(68)90287-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Nossel H. L., Rubin H., Drillings M., Hsieh R. Inhibition of Hageman factor activation. J Clin Invest. 1968 May;47(5):1172–1180. doi: 10.1172/JCI105806. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. RATNOFF O. D., MILES A. A. THE INDUCTION OF PERMEABILITY-INCREASING ACTIVITY IN HUMAN PLASMA BY ACTIVATED HAGEMAN FACTOR. Br J Exp Pathol. 1964 Jun;45:328–345. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. SCHWERT G. W., TAKENAKA Y. A spectrophotometric determination of trypsin and chymotrypsin. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1955 Apr;16(4):570–575. doi: 10.1016/0006-3002(55)90280-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Shapiro A. L., Viñuela E., Maizel J. V., Jr Molecular weight estimation of polypeptide chains by electrophoresis in SDS-polyacrylamide gels. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 1967 Sep 7;28(5):815–820. doi: 10.1016/0006-291x(67)90391-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Weber K., Osborn M. The reliability of molecular weight determinations by dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. J Biol Chem. 1969 Aug 25;244(16):4406–4412. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Webster M. E. Human plasma kallikrein, its activation and pathological role. Fed Proc. 1968 Jan-Feb;27(1):84–89. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from The Journal of Experimental Medicine are provided here courtesy of The Rockefeller University Press

RESOURCES