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. 1978 Nov;75(11):5497–5500. doi: 10.1073/pnas.75.11.5497

Nerve growth factor: a protease that can activate plasminogen.

N S Orenstein, H F Dvorak, M H Blanchard, M Young
PMCID: PMC392992  PMID: 152922

Abstract

The single, highly stable form of mouse submandibular gland nerve growth factor (NGF), prepared as described by Young et al. [(1978) Biochemistry 17, 1490--1498] is a protease of restricted specificity that can convert plasminogen to plasmin. In the absence of plasminogen, NGF is not fibrinolytic, nor does it hydrolyze casein at a measurable rate. Treatment of NGF with diisopropyl fluorophosphate inhibits its ability to activate plasminogen as well as its capacity to hydrolyze certain synthetic arginine esters. These results indicate that NGF is a member of the class of serine proteases. Since NGF is known to be secreted at high concentrations in mouse saliva, it may serve to activate plasminogen (with subsequent fibrinolysis) somewhere in the alimentary tract. Plasminogen activation is the only known action of NGF upon a biologically important non-neural substrate.

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Selected References

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

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