南极耐冷 Pseudomonas sp. 7323低温脂肪酶的性质及基因克隆

 南极微生物是筛选低温酶的良好来源,但尚未得到充分的研究与开发.低温脂肪酶具有广阔的应用前景,其基因结构特征也具有重要的研究意义. 本文对南极微生物开展了低温脂肪酶产生菌的筛选、基因克隆及特征分析.采用功能筛选的方法,从南极普里兹湾深海沉积物中获得一株产低温脂肪酶的菌株7323,其最适温度和最高生长温度分别为20℃和30℃,属于耐冷菌.16S rDNA序列分析表明,该菌属于假单胞菌属（Pseudomonas）.通过设计引物扩增出的脂肪酶基因全长为1854　bp,该基因编码一个由617氨基酸、分子量预计为64466的蛋白质.氨基酸序列分析表明,该酶与Pseudomonas sp. UB48 的脂肪酶有89%的相似性,在催化区和C末端信号肽中存在高度保守的序列.纯化后的酶学性质研究表明,该脂肪酶的最适温度为35℃,最适pH值为9.0,为碱性低温酶.     

血红密孔菌(Pycnoporussanguineus)漆酶基因的克隆与序列分析

为克隆血红密孔菌 (Pycnoporussanguineus)漆酶基因 ,根据真菌漆酶氨基酸序列保守区设计了 1对简并引物 .以血红密孔菌基因组DNA为模板 ,PCR扩增出长 12 2 7bp的漆酶基因片段 .以此序列为基础 ,通过 5′及 3′RACE技术克隆出漆酶全长cDNA序列 ,序列长为 190 2bp ,其 5′端和 3′端非编码区长分别为 5 1bp和 2 97bp ,开放阅读框长 15 5 4bp ,编码 5 18个氨基酸的蛋白 .该蛋白具有 4个铜离子结合区域 ,预测其相对分子量为 5 6 313 2 ,等电点为 5 5 9,其氨基酸序列与Pycnoporuscinnabarinus漆酶 (lcc3 2 )的同源性最高 ,为 96 % .以该cDNA编码区的两端序列为引物 ,PCR扩增得到漆酶的长度为 2 15 4bp的全长DNA序列 ,序列中包括 10个内含子序列 ,长为 5 2～ 70bp     

腊样芽孢杆菌低温淀粉酶基因的克隆表达及酶学性质研究

从废弃的淀粉堆中筛选到一株产低温淀粉酶的蜡样芽孢杆菌(Bacillus cereus)GXBC-1,通过同源保守序列比对,从中克隆到一个淀粉酶基因.该基因全长为1764bp,编码588个氨基酸,分子量约为64kD.将基因克隆到大肠杆菌进行表达及酶学性质研究,该重组酶最适温度为35℃,在20℃仍具有53%的活力;最适pH...     

南极深海沉积物宏基因组DNA中低温脂肪酶基因的克隆、表达及性质分析

从南极普利兹湾深海900米深的沉积物中提取获得宏基因组DNA,并通过设计引物,从中克隆到全长为948bp的低温脂肪酶(lip3)开放阅读框完整序列,该基因编码一个由315个氨基酸残基组成、预计分子质量为34.557ku酶蛋白(Lip3);氨基酸序列上的GFGNS(GXGXS)和G-N-S-M-G(GXSXG)在许多脂肪酶中有很高的保守性,它们是水解机制所必需的序列,也是丝氨酸水解酶中最保守的序列.构建了lip3基因重组表达载体,并在大肠杆菌中获得表达,采用镍离子亲和层析柱对表达的酶蛋白Lip3进行纯化,得到约35ku蛋白条带,酶学性质的分析表明,该酶的最适作用温度为25℃,在0℃时表现为最高活力的22%,最适pH值为8.0,对热敏感,35℃热处理60min剩余酶活为10%,以硝基苯棕榈酸酯为底物,Lip3的酶促反应常数Km值随着反应温度的升高而升高,是典型的低温酶.     

扩展青霉PF898碱性脂肪酶基因组DNA的克隆及序列分析

扩展青霉 (Penicilliumexpansum)PF898可产生一种具有重要工业生产价值的碱性脂肪酶(PEL) .在通过 3′RACE和 5′RACE获得PEL完整的cDNA序列的基础上 ,通过PCR方法首次克隆了该脂肪酶的完整的基因组DNA序列 (GenBank登录号为AF330 6 35 ) .该脂肪酶DNA全长 14 0 4bp ,包括PEL编码区、3′非翻译区和部分 5′非翻译区基因的序列 .编码区DNA由 1135个碱基组成 ,含有 5个内含子 ,大小分别为 5 8bp、4 7bp、5 0bp、5 6bp和 6 9bp .在已报道的丝状真菌脂肪酶中 ,PEL基因的内含子数量最多 ,而其大小与其它丝状真菌脂肪酶基因的内含子一样 ,均为只有几十个碱基的小内含子 .PCR扩增获得的PLEDNA序列还包括由 195个碱基组成的 3′端非编码区序列 ,74个碱基的部分 5′端非编码区序列 .PELDNA全长序列中的 - 2 4至 - 2 7nt为TATAbox ,终止码TGA下游15 6nt出现AATAAA序列 ,TGA下游 182位出现poly(A)尾 ,为典型的真核基因结构 .同源性序列分析表明 ,PEL与其它真菌来源脂肪酶的基因组DNA序列同源性约为 39%～ 4 9% ,PEL内含子之间或PEL内含子与其它丝状真菌脂肪酶基因的内含子之间的序列同源性约 4 2 %～ 5 7% .     

辣椒多聚半乳糖醛酸酶基因CaPG的克隆与序列分析

以耐贮辣椒品系P98为材料,采用RACE方法,首次获得辣椒果实多聚半乳糖醛酶(PG)基因的全长cDNA,命名为CaPG,登录号为FJ596175.序列分析结果表明,该基因cDNA长1 668 bp,5′非编码区为119 bp,3′非编码区为442 bp,CDS长1 107 bp,编码368个氨基酸.Blast比对发现,该基因核苷酸序列与已报道的番茄和番木瓜PG基因具有84%和85%的相似性.聚类分析表明,该基因与番茄和番木瓜的亲缘关系较近,与拟南芥PG基因的亲缘关系较远.     

深海沉积物微生物元基因组文库来源的新的酯酶基因的克隆、表达及酶学性质

【目的】从深海沉积物微生物元基因组文库中克隆新的酯酶基因,并进行酶学性质研究。【方法】利用含有三丁酸甘油酯的酯酶选择性筛选培养基,从深海沉积物微生物元基因组文库中筛选得到酯酶阳性Fosmid克隆。对筛选得到的fosmid FL10进行部分酶切构建亚克隆文库,筛选得到酯酶阳性亚克隆pFLS10。PCR扩增目的片段后与pET28a连接构建酯酶基因原核表达质粒,转化大肠杆菌(Escherichia coli)BL21。纯化表达产物并对其进行活性测定及酶学性质研究。【结果】序列分析显示该pFLS10亚克隆质粒含有一段924bp的ORF(Open Reading Frame),与一海洋元基因组文库中筛选出的酯酶ADA70030序列一致性为71%。该酶为一新的低温酯酶,对C4底物(对硝基苯丁酸酯)水解能力最强。该酶最适作用温度为20℃,最适作用pH为7.5,20℃时较为稳定,pH8-10的范围内有良好的pH稳定性,K+、Mg2+对该酶具有一定的激活作用,Mn2+等对其具有不同程度的抑制作用。【结论】应用元基因组技术筛选到了新的酯酶基因fls10并进行了克隆表达,该酶在低温及碱性条件下较为稳定且活力较高,对于工业化生产具有一定的应用潜力。关键词:深海沉积物;元基因组文库;低温酯酶;酶学特征     

鲢鱼可溶性谷胱甘肽S-转移酶(sGST)基因cDNA全序列与5′调控区的克隆与分析

淡水鱼类可溶性谷胱甘肽S-转移酶(sGST)在微囊藻毒素去毒代谢过程中具有独特 的关键作用,因而也称为微囊藻毒素去毒酶. 从淡水食毒藻鱼类鲢鱼(Hypophthalmichthys molitrix)肝脏通过简并引物克隆微囊藻毒素去毒酶基因cDNA核心序列,应用5′RACE和3′RACE技术分别扩增该序列的5′末端和3′末端序列,最后通过序列拼接获得鲢鱼肝脏微囊藻毒素去毒酶基因cDNA全序列. 序列分析结果表明,鲢鱼肝脏微囊藻毒素去毒酶基因cDNA全长920 bp,其中5′-UTR长74 bp,3′-UTR长174 bp,编码区长672 bp,编码223个氨基酸. 应用基因组步行法,在鲢鱼克隆得到淡水鱼类微囊藻毒素去毒酶基因5′侧翼区878 bp序列. 与哺乳动物及海水鱼sGST基因不同,鲢鱼微囊藻毒素去毒酶基因的5′侧翼区,发现存在多个脂多糖反应元件(LPSRE),表明来源于毒藻的脂多糖可能对鲢鱼微囊藻毒素去毒酶基因表达有潜在调控作用.     

鲢鱼可溶性谷胱甘肽S-转移酶(sGST)基因cDNA全序列与5′调控区的克隆与分析

淡水鱼类可溶性谷胱甘肽S-转移酶(sGST)在微囊藻毒素去毒代谢过程中具有独特的关键作用,因而也称为微囊藻毒素去毒酶.从淡水食毒藻鱼类鲢鱼(Hypophthalmichthysmolitrix)肝脏通过简并引物克隆微囊藻毒素去毒酶基因cDNA核心序列,应用5′RACE和3′RACE技术分别扩增该序列的5′末端和3′末端序列,最后通过序列拼接获得鲢鱼肝脏微囊藻毒素去毒酶基因cDNA全序列.序列分析结果表明,鲢鱼肝脏微囊藻毒素去毒酶基因cDNA全长920bp,其中5′-UTR长74bp,3′-UTR长174bp,编码区长672bp,编码223个氨基酸.应用基因组步行法,在鲢鱼克隆得到淡水鱼类微囊藻毒素去毒酶基因5′侧翼区878bp序列.与哺乳动物及海水鱼sGST基因不同,鲢鱼微囊藻毒素去毒酶基因的5′侧翼区,发现存在多个脂多糖反应元件(LPSRE),表明来源于毒藻的脂多糖可能对鲢鱼微囊藻毒素去毒酶基因表达有潜在调控作用.     

荒漠甲虫小胸鳖甲几丁质酶基因MpCht8c的克隆、鉴定与低温表达

为了挖掘荒漠昆虫小胸鳖甲Microdera punctipennis的耐寒性相关基因,从其4℃转录组数据库筛选出差异表达的几丁质酶基因片段394seq2,检测其编码蛋白的几丁质酶活性,研究该基因的表达对低温胁迫的响应情况。采用RACE技术扩增394seq2的5′端和3′端,克隆全长序列,将其ORF构建至原核表达载体pET28a,导入Transetta(DE3)感受态细胞,诱导表达融合蛋白,Western blot法检测表达蛋白的正确性;二硝基水杨酸法测定几丁质酶活性,qRT-PCR技术探究低温表达谱。结果表明,394seq2的5′-UTR为39 bp,3′-UTR为181 bp;ORF为1 140 bp。系统进化树显示该序列与赤拟谷盗几丁质酶8(TcCHT8)聚为一支,命名为MpCht8c。MpCht8c编码379个氨基酸,分子量为41.2 kDa,理论等电点pI为4.67。MpCHT8c含有完整的几丁质酶结构基序,其N端含有几丁质酶催化域,内有一个类18家族几丁质酶的保守基序KXXXXXGGW,中部是一段富PEST的连接区,C端是几丁质酶结合域,属于IV型昆虫几丁质酶。Western blot结果表明His-MpCHT8c在大肠杆菌中正确表达;融合蛋白粗酶液的几丁质酶活性为1.89 U/mL。在4℃冷胁迫0.5 h和5-9 h时Mpcht8c出现两个上调表达峰值,约为对照的2倍。研究表明荒漠昆虫小胸鳖甲的几丁质酶MpCHT8c具有几丁质酶活性,MpCht8c基因的表达可快速响应4℃低温胁迫。研究结果有助于深入研究几丁质酶在小胸鳖甲耐寒性方面的作用机理。     

Drought-Stimulated Activity of Plasma Membrane Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide Phosphate Oxidase and Its Catalytic Properties in Rice

The activity of plasma membrane (PM) nicoUnamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase and Its catalytic properties in rice was investigated under drought stress conditions. Drought stress led to decreased leaf relative water content (RWC) and, as a result of drought-induced oxidative stress, the activities of antioxidant enzymes increased significantly. More interestingly, the intensity of applied water stress was correlated with increased production of H_2O_2and O_2~- and elevated activity of PM NADPH oxidase, a key enzyme of reactive oxygen species generation in plants.Histochemlcal analyses also revealed increased H_2O_2 and O_2~- production in drought-stressed leaves. Application of dlphenylene iodonium (DPI), an Inhibitor of PM NADPH oxidasa, did not alleviate drought-induced production of H_2O_2 and O_2~-. Catalysis experiments indicated that the dce PM NADPH oxidass was partially fiavin-dependent. The pH and temperature optima for this enzyme were 9.8 and 40 ℃, respectively. In addition, drought stress enhanced the activity under alkaline pH and high temperature conditions. These results suggest that a complex regulatory mechanism, associated with the NADPH oxidase-H_2O_2 system, is involved in the response of rice to drought stress.     

棉铃虫幼虫中肠主要蛋白酶活性的鉴定

根据棉铃虫Helicoverpa armigera(Hubner)中肠酶液对蛋白酶专性底物在不同pH下的水解作用,棉铃虫中肠的3种丝氨酸蛋白酶得到鉴定。它们是：强碱性类胰蛋白酶,水 解a-N-苯甲酰-DL-精氨酸-p-硝基苯胺的最适pH在10.50以上;弱碱性类胰蛋白酶,水解p-甲苯磺酰-L-精氨酸甲酯的最适pH为8.50～9.00;类胰凝乳蛋白酶, 水解N一苯甲酰-L-酪氨酸乙酯的最适pH亦为8.50-9.00。中肠总蛋白酶活性用偶 氮酪蛋白测定,最适pH亦在10.50以上。Ca²⁺对昆虫蛋白酶无影响,Mg²⁺仅对弱碱性类胰蛋白酶有激活作用。对苯甲基磺酰氟和甲基磺酰-L-赖氨酸氯甲基酮对弱碱性类胰蛋白酶的抑制作用较强,而对强碱性类胰蛋白酶的抑制作用较弱。甲基磺酰-L苯丙氨酸氯甲基酮除能抑制类胰凝乳蛋白酶外,还能激活弱碱性类胰蛋白酶。对牛胰蛋白酶有强抑制作用的卵粘蛋白抑制剂对昆虫蛋白酶却无抑制作用。大豆胰蛋白酶抑制剂对该虫的3种丝氨酸蛋白酶均有强的抑制作用。     

Biochemical and molecular characterization of a detergent-stable serine alkaline protease from Bacillus pumilus CBS with high catalytic efficiency

We have described previously the potential use of an alkaline protease from Bacillus pumilus CBS as an effective additive in laundry detergent formulations [B. Jaouadi, S. Ellouz-Chaabouni, M. Ben Ali, E. Ben Messaoud, B. Naili, A. Dhouib, S. Bejar, A novel alkaline protease from Bacillus pumilus CBS having a high compatibility with laundry detergent and a high feather-degrading activity, Process Biochem, submitted for publication]. Here, we purified this enzyme (named SAPB) and we cloned, sequenced and over-expressed the corresponding gene. The enzyme was purified to homogeneity using salt precipitation and gel filtration HPLC. The pure protease was found to be monomeric protein with a molecular mass of 34598.19Da as determined by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. The NH(2)-terminal sequence of first 21 amino acids (aa) of the purified SAPB was AQTVPYGIPQIKAPAVHAQGY and was completely identical to proteases from other Bacillus pumilus species. This protease is strongly inhibited by PMSF and DFP, showing that it belongs to the serine proteases superfamily. Interestingly, the optimum pH is 10.6 while the optimum temperature was determined to be 65 degrees C. The enzyme was completely stable within a wide range of pH (7.0-10.6) and temperature (30-55 degrees C). One of the distinguishing properties is its catalytic efficiency (k(cat)/K(m)) calculated to be 45,265min(-1)mM(-1) and 147,000min(-1)mM(-1) using casein and AAPF as substrates, respectively, which is higher than that of Subtilisin Carlsberg, Subtilisin BPN' and Subtilisin 309 determined under the same conditions. In addition, SAPB showed remarkable stability, for 24h at 40 degrees C, in the presence of 5% Tween-80, 1% SDS, 15% urea and 10% H(2)O(2), which comprise the common bleach-based detergent formulation. The sapB gene encoding SAPB was cloned, sequenced and over-expressed in Escherichia coli. The purified recombinant enzyme (rSAPB) has the same physicochemical and kinetic properties as the native one. SapB gene had an ORF of 1149bp encoding a protein of 383 aa organized into a signal peptide (29 aa), a pro-protein (79 aa) and a mature enzyme (275 aa). The deduced amino acid sequence inspection displays an important homology with other bacterial proteases. The highest homology of 98.1% was found with BPP-A protease from Bacillus pumilus MS-1, with only 8 aa of difference.     

Molecular cloning, sequence and structural analysis of dehairing Mn(2+) dependent alkaline serine protease (MASPT) of Bacillus pumilus TMS55

Leather industries release a large amount of pollution-causing chemicals which creates one of the major industrial pollutions. The development of enzyme based processes as a potent alternative to pollution-causing chemicals is useful to overcome this issue. Proteases are enzymes which have extensive applications in leather processing and in several bioremediation processes due to their high alkaline protease activity and dehairing efficacy. In the present study, we report cloning, characterization of a Mn2+ dependent alkaline serine protease gene (MASPT) of Bacillus pumilus TMS55. The gene encoding the protease from B. pumilus TMS55 was cloned and its nucleotide sequence was determined. This gene has an open reading frame (ORF) of 1,149 bp that encodes a polypeptide of 383 amino acid residues. Our analysis showed that this polypeptide is composed of 29 residues N-terminal signal peptide, a propeptide of 79 residues and a mature protein of 275 amino acids. We performed bioinformatics analysis to compare MASPT enzyme with other proteases. Homology modeling was employed to model three dimensional structure for MASPT. Structural analysis showed that MASPT structure is composed of nine α-helices and nine β-strands. It has 3 catalytic residues and 14 metal binding residues. Docking analysis showed that residues S223, A260, N263, T328 and S329 interact with Mn2+. This study allows initial inferences about the structure of the protease and will allow the rational design of its derivatives for structure-function studies and also for further improvement of the enzyme.     

Intracellular alkaline proteases produced by thermoacidophiles: detection of protease heterogeneity by gelatin zymography and polymerase chain reaction (PCR)

In this study 24 thermoacidophilic archeal and bacterial strains isolated from hot-springs and hot-soils were screened for their ability to produce intracellular alkaline proteases. The protease activities of the strains, based on azocasein hydrolysis, showed a variation from 0.6 to 5.1 U. The cell extracts of three most potent producers were further examined and it was found that their proteases exhibited maximum activity at 60-70 degrees C and showed a pH optimum over a range of pH 7.0-8.5. Gelatin zymography revealed that two of the selected archeal strains produced multiple active SDS-resistant proteases. On the other hand, PCR amplification of alkaline serine protease gene sequences of total DNA from all isolates yielded four distinct amplification fragments of 650, 450, 400 and 300 bp, which might have been derived from different serine protease genes.     

Novel alkaline- and heat-stable serine proteases from alkalophilic Bacillus sp. strain GX6638.

An alkalophilic Bacillus sp., strain GX6638 (ATCC 53278), was isolated from soil and shown to produce a minimum of three alkaline proteases. The proteases were purified by ion-exchange chromatography and were distinguishable by their isoelectric point, molecular weight, and electrophoretic mobility. Two of the proteases, AS and HS, which exhibited the greatest alkaline and thermal stability, were characterized further. Protease HS had an apparent molecular weight of 36,000 and an isoelectric point of approximately 4.2, whereas protease AS had a molecular weight of 27,500 and an isoelectric point of 5.2. Both enzymes had optimal proteolytic activities over a broad pH range (pH 8 to 12) and exhibited temperature optima of 65 degrees C. Proteases HS and AS were further distinguished by their proteolytic activities, esterolytic activities, sensitivity to inhibitors, and their alkaline and thermal stability properties. Protease AS was extremely alkali stable, retaining 88% of initial activity at pH 12 over a 24-h incubation period at 25 degrees C; protease HS exhibited similar alkaline stability properties to pH 11. In addition, protease HS had exceptional thermal stability properties. At pH 9.5 (0.1 M CAPS buffer, 5 mM EDTA), the enzyme had a half-life of more than 200 min at 50 degrees C and 25 min at 60 degrees C. At pH above 9.5, protease HS readily lost enzymatic activity even in the presence of exogenously supplied Ca2+. In contrast, protease AS was more stable at pH above 9.5, and Ca2+ addition extended the half-life of the enzyme 10-fold at 60 degrees C. In contrast, protease AS was more stable at pH above 9.5, and Ca2+ addition extended the half-life of the enzyme 10-fold at 60 degrees C. The data presented here clearly indicate that these two alkaline proteases from Bacillus sp. strain GX6638 represent novel proteases that differ fundamentally from the proteases previously described for members of the genus Bacillus.     

Cloning,expression, and characterization of serine protease from thermophilic fungus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Thermoascus aurantiacus</Emphasis> var. <Emphasis Type="Italic">levisporus</Emphasis>

The serine protease gene from a thermophilic fungus Thermoascus aurantiacus var. levisporus, was cloned, sequenced, and expressed in Pichia pastoris and the recombinant protein was characterized. The full-length cDNA of 2,592 bp contains an ORF of 1,482 bp encoding 494 amino acids. Sequence analysis of the deduced amino acid sequence revealed high homology with subtilisin serine proteases. The putative enzyme contained catalytic domain with active sites formed by three residues of Aspl83, His215, and Ser384. The molecular mass of the recombinant enzyme was estimated to be 59.1 kDa after overexpression in P. pastoris. The activity of recombinant protein was 115.58 U/mg. The protease exhibited its maximal activity at 50°C and pH 8.0 and kept thermostable at 60°C, and retained 60% activity after 60 min at 70° C. The protease activity was found to be inhibited by PMSF, but not by DTT or EDTA. The enzyme has broad substrate specificity such as gelatin, casein and pure milk, and exhibiting highest activity towards casein.     

嗜热菌Anoxybacillus sp．DL3产蛋白酶条件及其酶学性质研究

目的：对Anoxybacillussp．DL3的产蛋白酶条件及其酶学性质进行研究,为下一步进行蛋白酶基因的克隆、表达提供依据。方法：应用常规方法液体培养细菌,研究温度、pH、培养基中碳源、氮源对菌株产蛋白酶的影响,硫酸铵盐析的方法提取酶液,并采用Folin法测酶活性。用紫外分光光度计在OD680hi／1测吸光值。并对提取的蛋白酶液进行酶的最适温度、pH以及酶的热稳定性和pH稳定性研究,向酶液中添加金属离子和EDTA、PMSF,研究其对酶活性的影响。结果：在培养基初始pH是6．5,培养温度为40℃时菌株产酶酶活性最大;培养基中以乳糖为碳源,酵母膏和硫酸铵为氮源,碳源与氮源的比例为1：2时,酶活最大。酶学性质研究结果显示：该酶的最适反应温度是55℃,最适反应pH是7．0;在50℃保温20min-80min内,酶活力下降幅度较小。60℃保温60min后,仍保持约60％的酶活。70℃保温60min后,残余酶活为30％。该酶在pH为6．0～8．0范围内,相对酶活差别不是很大,下降趋势大致相同。在强碱条件下,相对酶活下降很明显。Fe2＋、Cu2＋和Hg2＋对酶活性有明显的抑制作用;Ca2＋、Mg^2＋、Mn2＋等金属离子对酶活性有明显的促进作用;乙二胺四乙酸（EDTA）和苯甲基磺酰氟（PMSF）对酶活性也有一定抑制作用。结论：Anoxybacillussp．DL3所产的蛋白酶为嗜热中性蛋白酶,此酶具有较好的热稳定性和pH耐受性,该菌株具有进一步开发、利用的价值。     

Multiple proteases from Streptomyces moderatus. II. Physicochemical and enzymatic properties of the extracellular proteases

The physicochemical and enzymatic properties of five different extracellular proteases of Streptomyces moderatus were studied. The first protease was found to be a metal chelator sensitive protease with a Mr of 21,000 +/- 1000 a and a pI of 4.6. The second enzyme was an anionic trypsin-like protease (Mr 19,000 +/- 1000; pI 3.8) with a Km value of 4.76 X 10(-4) M on N-benzoyl-L-arginine-p-nitroanilide. A Km value of 1.52 X 10(-4) M was obtained when N-benzoyl-L-arginine ethyl ester was used as the substrate. The other three enzymes were found to be serine alkaline proteases with Mr's of 22,000, 29,000, and 23,000 +/- 1000 and with respective pI's of 7.8, 8.4, and 9.2. All the proteases showed optimum activity in the alkaline pH range. One of the three proteases was found to possess chymotrypsin and elastase-like properties. All five proteases were found to be unstable at temperatures above 60 degrees C. Except the trypsin-like protease, which was stable only in acidic pH, all other enzymes were found to be stable over a wide range of pH.