title: Detergent alkaline proteases: enzymatic properties, genes, and crystal structures.
abstract: Subtilisin-like serine proteases from bacilli have been used in various industrial fields worldwide, particularly in the production of laundry and automatic dishwashing detergents. They belong to family A of the subtilase superfamily, which is composed of three clans, namely, true subtilisins, high-alkaline proteases, and intracellular proteases. We succeeded in the large-scale production of a high-alkaline protease (M-protease) from alkaliphilic Bacillus clausii KSM-K16, and the enzyme has been introduced into compact heavy-duty laundry detergents. We have also succeeded in the industrial-scale production of a new alkaline protease, KP-43, which was originally resistant to chemical oxidants and to surfactants, produced by alkaliphilic Bacillus sp. strain KSM-KP43 and have incorporated it into laundry detergents. KP-43 and related proteases form a new clan, oxidatively stable proteases, in subtilase family A. In this review, we describe the enzymatic properties, gene sequences, and crystal structures of M-protease, KP-43, and related enzymes.
authors.affiliation: Tochigi Research Laboratories of Kao Corporation, 2606 Akabane, Ichikai, Haga 321-3497, Japan. saeki.katsuhisa@kao.co.jp
authors.forename: Katsuhisa
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Saeki
authors.forename: Katsuya
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ozaki
authors.forename: Tohru
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kobayashi
authors.forename: Susumu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ito
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001407:Bacillus / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics; D018360:Crystallography, X-Ray; D003902:Detergents / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000266:history; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D049673:History, 20th Century; D008958:Models, Molecular; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D011487:Protein Conformation; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D012697:Serine Endopeptidases / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000266:history / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D003902:Detergents; D012697:Serine Endopeptidases; C032923:microbial serine proteinases