title: A thermostable collagenolytic protease with a very large molecular mass produced by thermophilic Bacillus sp. strain MO-1.
abstract: A collagenolytic protease was purified to homogeneity from thermophilic Bacillus sp. strain MO-1. The protease from strain MO-1 showed high activity toward type I and IV collagens and gelatin. However, peptide substrates (4-phenylazobenzyloxycarbonyl-Pro-Leu-Gly-Pro-Arg and 2-furylacryloyl-Leu-Gly-Pro-Ala) for collagenases were inert as substrates. The collagenolytic protease cleaved oxidized insulin B-chain at 11 sites and degraded type I and IV collagens into anonymous small pieces, suggesting that the protease digests collagens at multiple sites. The collagenolytic protease was far more thermostable than a mesophilic Clostridium histolyticum collagenase. The collagenolytic protease possesses two salient features: (1) it has a very large molecular mass, 210 kDa, and consists of two, identical 105-kDa subunits; (2) it belongs to a serine protease group. The high molecular mass is unique among serine proteases but common for collagenases. The features of the enzyme from strain MO-1 suggest that it is a new collagenolytic protease which is distinct from previously reported collagenases and serine proteases.
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Biochemistry, Kyoto Prefectural University, Sakyo, Japan.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Okamoto
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yonejima
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tsujimoto
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Watanabe
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001407:Bacillus / Q000201:enzymology*; D002384:Catalysis; D003094:Collagen / Q000378:metabolism*; D010450:Endopeptidases / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism*; D004795:Enzyme Stability; D005780:Gelatin / Q000378:metabolism; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D008970:Molecular Weight; D011480:Protease Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D013379:Substrate Specificity
chemical_list: D011480:Protease Inhibitors; D005780:Gelatin; D003094:Collagen; D010450:Endopeptidases