Plasminogen activator: The major secreted neutral protease of cultured skeletal muscle cells

Abstract

Clonal mouse skeletal muscle cells which differentiate in culture and from synpases with neuronal cells were found to secrete high levels of protease activity as measured with an ¹²⁵I-fibrin assay. The secreted proteolytic activity was more than 90% dependent upon the presence of plasminogen in the medium, and had a pH optimum at 7 to 8. This activity was not inhibited by n-ethylmaleimide, pepstatin, EDTA, or EGTA. At millimolar concentrations, greater than 90% inhibition was obtained with either soybean typsin inhibitor, epsilon aminocaproic acid, Trasylol, or leupeptin. Almost complete inhibition occured with 1 mM diisopropylfluorophosphate suggesting the presence of a serine residue at the catalytic site. In contrast to the high levels of secreted activity, a lower steady-state level of cell-associated protease activity was detected in cell lysates. The high level of plasminogen activator secreted into the medium of cultured muscle cells suggests a role for such extracellular protease activity in myogenesis during development and remodeling following muscle injury. Such information may be useful in understanding the initial degeneration of neuromusclar contacts in experimental and pathologic denervation.