Purification and characterization of a new metalloproteinase with elastolytic activity from the catfish pancreas.

An elastolytic enzyme was purified to homogeneity from the pancreas of the catfish Parasilurus asotus by chromatography on CM-cellulose column and affinity chromatography on (Ala)3-CH-Sepharose 4B column. The molecular weight of the enzyme was estimated to be 24 000 by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The enzyme had elastolytic activity as well as activity toward Suc-(Ala)3-NA. The enzyme was inhibited by EDTA, EGTA, o-phenanthroline, dithiothreitol, and cysteine, but not by the serine proteinase inhibitors iPr2P-F and PhCH2SO2F. In addition, the enzyme was found to require Zn2+ for activity. These results indicate that the catfish enzyme belongs to the group of metalloproteinases and that it is a new type of pancreatic enzyme, unlike the pancreatic elastases which are serine proteinases.