Serine proteinase activation of latent human skin collagenase

Latent and active collagenase were demonstrated following direct extraction from normal skin homogenates with 0.1M calcium chloride at 60 degrees C. 83% of the collagenase activity was in latent form and could be maximally activated with trypsin. Partial activation of the latent enzyme could also be demonstrated by incubation of the skin extract without added trypsin. This endogenous activation was inhibited by the addition of soya bean trypsin inhibitor, trasylol, di-isopropylphosphofluoridate and phenylmethanesulphonylfluoride, none of which inhibited collagenase directly. This suggests that the skin extracts contain a collagenase activating enzyme with the inhibition profile of a serine proteinase. A chymotryptic proteinase with a similar inhibition profile was extracted from normal human skin and partially purified. This enzyme activated fibroblast procollagenase derived from tissue culture of normal skin. The procollagenase was also partially activated by plasmin and chymotrypsin. This is the first demonstration of a collagenase activating enzyme in human skin and raises the possibility that collagenase activation by this mechanism may be responsible for collagen degradation in some disease processes.