Serum aminopeptidases in pregnant vervet monkeys (Cercopithecus aethiops)

Two distinctive aminopeptidase isozymes have been identified in the serum of the vervet monkey. The L-methionine-sensitive cytosol aminopeptidase (AP; E.C. 3.4.11.1) is present in all samples, while the cystyl aminopeptidase (CAP; E.C. 3.4.11.3) isozyme, which is resistant to inhibition by 0.1 M L-methionine, is found only in the serum of pregnant females. The pregnancy-specific CAP isozyme appears in the serum between the fifth and the eleventh weeks of a nearly 22-week pregnancy. The overall aminopeptidase activity and the activity of the L-methionine-insensitive isozymes alone are both significantly greater in the serum of pregnant females than in nonpregnant females. Consequently, the presence of the cystyl aminopeptidase isozyme in the serum is a useful diagnostic indicator of pregnancy in the vervet monkey.