Two-dimensional gel analysis of zymogen-activating factors in the small intestine of the mouse.

Zymogen-activating factors in the mouse were investigated by two-dimensional electrophoresis. Mouse pancreatic zymogens--trypsinogen-I group (Try G-I group), trypsinogen-II (Try G-II), and chymotrypsinogen (Chy G)--were purified using DEAE-cellulose column chromatography. Analysis by two-dimensional electrophoresis, using the purified zymogens as substrates, revealed enterokinase isozymes and chymotrypsinogen-activating factors in both the intestinal extract and luminal fluid. Mouse enterokinase was separated into at least two bands in the first-dimensional gel, each able to activate both trypsinogens Try G-I group and Try G-II. Chymotrypsinogen-activating factors were separated into several bands in the first-dimensional gel. Some activating factors showed mobilities similar to those of mouse enterokinase isozymes. Moreover, other activating factors that can activate chymotrypsinogen were present only in the more anodal area of the first-dimensional gel. These findings indicate that at least two enterokinases and several chymotrypsinogen-activating factors play an important role in the process of activating digestive enzymes.