Assay method for single-chain urokinase-type plasminogen activator.

A new assay method for measuring single-chain urokinase-type plasminogen activator (scu-PA) activity by quantitative calorimetric assay method is described. The serine enzyme u-PA activates plasminogen to plasmin, and scu-PA is a precursor protein obtained from a tissue culture of human kidney cells. The scu-PA solution was activated by plasmin to two-chain u-PA, which releases p-nitroaniline from pyro-Glu-Gly-Arg-pNA, and the optical density at 405 nm was measured. One unit of scu-PA was defined on the basis of 1 nmol of p-nitroaniline released from the substrate per second. One unit of scu-PA was found to be equivalent to 335 u-PA (two-chain) units (IU).