Plasmin-mediated proteolysis of casein in bovine milk.

Plasminogen was found to be present in bovine milk by crossreactivity between rabbit antiserum to plasminogen and casein prepared from milk by acid precipitation. This result was further supported by recovery of intact 125I-labeled plasminogen from rabbit milk after its intravenous injection. Freshly isolated whole bovine casein was observed to undergo slow autoproteolysis at 37 degrees C. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis revealed gradual disappearance of major caseins accompanied by appearance and increase in intensity of numerous electrophoretic bands. This autoproteolysis was inhibited by low concentrations of epsilon-aminocaproic acid (0.1 mM) and diisopropyl fluorophosphate (1 mM); catalytic amounts of urokinase accelerated the process. Autoproteolysis of isolated bovine beta-casein was shown by both urea and sodium dodecyl sulfate gel electrophoresis to result in formation of gamma 1- and gamma 2-caseins. Similar electrophoretic bands were formed when beta-casein was degraded by plasmin prepared from bovine blood serum. These results support the hypothesis that bovine plasmin occurs in milk and is identical to alkaline milk protease.