Identification of a Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinase-2: An Endogenous Inhibitor of -Inducing Insoluble Metalloproteinase from Yellowtail Muscle.

The existence of an endogenous protease inhibitor (EPI) was expected from the comparison of the gel properties between washed and nonwashed yellowtail gels. A possible candidate, tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-2 (TIMP-2), was partially purified from the soluble fraction of yellowtail muscle, and an 18 kDa protein band was detected by sodium dodecyl-sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) under nonreducing conditions and western blot analysis. Its N-terminal amino acid sequence was determined as XSXSPAHPQQAF, with high homology to TIMP-2 from other fish species, suggesting that it was identified as yellowtail TIMP-2.