Plasminogen activator activities in the developing rat prostate

• Published in: Biology of reproduction Vol. 38; no. 3; pp. 723 - 731
• Main Authors: WILSON, M. J, SINHA, A. A, POWELL, J. E. H, ESTENSEN, R. D
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Madison, WI Society for the Study of Reproduction 01-04-1988
• Subjects: Animals; Biological and medical sciences; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Male; Peptide Hydrolases - analysis; Peptide Hydrolases - metabolism; Plasminogen Activators - analysis; Plasminogen Activators - metabolism; Pregnancy; Prostate - analysis; Prostate - anatomy & histology; Prostate - enzymology; Prostate - growth & development; Rats; Rats, Inbred Strains; Sexual differentiation and maturation. Puberty. Climacterium; Sexual Maturation; Vertebrates: reproduction; Puberty; Rat; Enzyme; Proteinase; Rodentia; Plasminogen activator; Male genital system; Vertebrata; Mammalia; Newborn animal; Adult animal; Development; Prostate
• ISSN: 0006-3363; 1529-7268
• DOI: 10.1095/biolreprod38.3.723

Plasminogen activator (PA) activities were measured in the rat prostatic complex and individual prostatic lobes during early
postnatal and pubertal development and in sexually mature adult rats. There was no significant change in PA activity during
postnatal prostate development. However, during sexual maturation with puberty, there was a decline in PA activity in the
ventral (3-fold), dorsolateral (22-fold), and anterior (19-fold) prostate lobes when activity was expressed per unit protein.
A decrease in activity of 25- and 11-fold was found for the dorsolateral and anterior lobes, respectively, when activity was
expressed per unit DNA. There was no change in activity in the ventral lobe. The adult ventral prostate (and its secretion)
have 3 broad bands of low molecular mass (approximately 23 and 26-32 kDa) plasminogen-independent protease activities. Proteases
of these molecular sizes as well as an activity of 170 kDa were detected in the dorsolateral prostate. The former proteases
in the ventral and dorsolateral lobes were first found at 21 days of age, whereas the 170 kDa protease was found in dorsolateral
prostate immediately post-puberty (48 days). The low molecular mass plasminogen-independent proteases were also able to activate
plasminogen (determined by zymography) and hence contribute to the total measured PA activity. Thus, at 21 days of age, the
specific activity of plasminogen-dependent protease declined, since the total measured PA-specific activity did not change.
Plasminogen-dependent activities in ventral, dorsolateral, and anterior prostate lobes of adult rats were found as doublets
of approximately 57-59 kDa and 36-38 kDa.