A NEUTRAL, CALCIUM-ACTIVATED PROTEINASE FROM THE SOLUBLE FRACTION OF RAT BRAIN.

Proteolytic activity has been observed in nervous tissue under acidic (14) and neutral (5-8) conditions. It now appears likely that a whole family of enzymes with proteolytic activity is present in brain (9), as well as in other tissues. Little or nothing has been done to characterize these enzymes in brain or to relate them to proteolytic enzymes from other sources. This report concerns the purification, properties, distribution, and specificity of a neutral proteinase from the soluble fraction of rat brain.