Substrate specificity of 'elastomucoproteinase': an enzyme which can degrade cartilage aggrecan.

The substrate specificity of elastomucoproteinase (EMP), an enzyme which was first isolated from crude pancreatic elastase and described as a proteoglycan-degrading enzyme, determined on tripeptide-p-nitroanilide substrates indicates the existence of a 'new' chymotrypsin-like enzyme. EMP, however, did not cleave any glycosaminoglycans, i.e., its 'mucolytic' effect has been excluded. Activity of EMP on synthetic or protein substrates (e.g., collagen type-II and aggrecan of cartilage) was completely inhibited by serine proteinase inhibitors, which was also found when using cartilage proteoglycan monomers. EMP cleaves the core protein of proteoglycan monomer (aggrecan) into small peptides, some containing glycosaminoglycan chains resulting in an unusual elution profile on Sepharose CL-6B chromatography when compared to the effects of pancreatic and granulocyte elastases, chymotrypsin, cathepsin G and stromelysin. EMP-like activity also was detected in neutrophil granules of bovine leukocytes and polyclonal antibodies were raised against purified bovine EMP to detect the enzyme in both crude elastase preparations and the granule fraction of bovine leukocytes.