Alpha 2-macroglobulin used to isolate intracellular endopeptidases from mammalian cells in culture.

Extracts of cell cultures labelled with [3H]leucine were incubated with human alpha 2-macroglobulin (alpha 2M), a plasma proteinase inhibitor. The proteinase-alpha 2M complexes were then precipitated with immobilized monoclonal antibodies to alpha 2M and analysed by SDS/polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis. Parallel experiments were done with methylamine-inactivated alpha 2M to check for unspecific binding of cell proteins to alpha 2M. Several 3H-labelled cell proteins bound to active, but not to inactivated, alpha 2M. Such proteins are likely to be proteinases. Putative endopeptidases of subunit Mr 112000, 78,000, 53,000, and in some experiments 88,000 and 16,000, were trapped by alpha 2M in supernatant fractions from IMR90 human fibroblasts, EBTr bovine fibroblasts and HeLa human carcinoma cells. No additional proteins were trapped in the presence of ATP. The Mr-78,000 endopeptidase was identified as calpain II by immunoblotting. At pH 5.3 putative endopeptidases of subunit Mr 80,000, 53,000 and 28,000-32,000 were trapped from IMR90-fibroblast extracts. Immunoblotting showed that both cathepsin B and cathepsin D were present in the Mr-28,000-32,000 electrophoretic bands. The use of alpha 2M and immobilized antibody to alpha 2M thus allows a rapid enrichment of endopeptidases from cell extracts. Some potentials and limitations of the method are discussed.