Human plasma kallikrein processing: proteolysis as an alternative control.

Human plasma kallikrein (HuPK) was detected in normal non-activated and dilution-activated plasma by immunoblotting, using polyclonal antibodies. In non-activated plasma, the predominatly detected protein corresponds to prokallikrein (Mr 80,000-90,000). Activated plasma, besides kallikrein, contains larger proteins (Mr > 130,000) that possibly represent complexes between kallikrein and proteinase inhibitors. Plasma also contains species (Mr 43,000) which corresponds to kallikrein heavy chain. In activated plasma, monoclonal antibodies against kallikrein heavy chain detected, besides these same bands described above, two additional bands (Mr 30,000 and 20,000) possibly correspondent to fragments of kallikrein heavy chain.