Isolation and characterization of human urinary kallikrein

Human urinary kallikrein was purified by gel filtration on Sephacryl S-200 and affinity chromatography on aprotinin-Sepharose, followed by ion exchange chromatography on DEAE-Sepharose. Thus an enzyme preparation with a specific activity (using AcPheArgOEt as substrate) of 1 100 U/mg protein was obtained. A specific bioligical activity of 2 300 KE/mg was measured in the dog blood pressure assay and of 0.742 HMW kininogen-U/mg, corresponding to the liberation of 787 micrograms bradykinin per mg enzyme per min from HMW-kininogen, in the rat uterus assay. In dodecyl sulfate electrophoresis two protein bands with apparent molecular weights of 41 000 and 34 000 were separated. The amino acid composition was determined and isoleucine was identified as the only aminoterminal amino acid. On isoelectric focusing six protein bands with isoelectric points of 3.75, 3.80, 3.90, 4.00, 4.05 and 4.25 were separated. The kinetic constants for the kallikrein-catalyzed hyrdolysis of AcPheArgOEt and D ValLeuArgNHNp were determined. The bimolecular velocity constant for the inhibition by diisopropyl fluorophosphate was determined as 9 +/- 2l x mol-1 x min-1. Immunological studies showed that a close relationship exists between the urinary enzyme and other human glandular kallikreins. Deoxycholate, lysolecithin and other amphiphiles activated human urinary kallikrein.