Characterization of urokinase-type plasminogen activator of rat decidual tissue.

Urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) from artificially induced decidual tissue of rat has been purified to homogeneity employing chromatographic techniques and the final preparation has a specific activity of 12,084 I.U./mg. The purified preparation resolves into a single band following SDS-PAGE and has an apparent molecular weight of 45 kDa. HPLC of the purified fraction also yields a single peak at 45 kDa. Decidual uPA is immunogenic in rabbit and a monospecific antiserum raised against it does not cross react with human melanoma tPA or rat Yoshida sarcoma tPA but elicits a precipitin reaction with human uPA and extracts of rat placenta and kidney. The enzyme has a pH optimum of 7.5, a kM of 1.0 microM, is heat stable upto ten minutes at 42 degrees C and inhibited by anti-uPA IgG.