Purification of ADAM 10 from bovine spleen as a TNFα convertase

Abstract

We have purified a protease with characteristics of TNFalpha convertase from bovine spleen membranes. Peptide sequencing of the purified protein identified it as ADAM 10 (Genbank accession no. Z21961). This metalloprotease cleaves a recombinant proTNFalpha substrate to mature TNFalpha, and can cleave a synthetic peptide substrate to yield the mature TNFalpha amino terminus in vitro. The enzyme is sensitive to a hydroxamate inhibitor of MMPs, but insensitive to phosphoramidon. In addition, cloned ADAM 10 mediates proTNFalpha processing in a processing-incompetent cell line.