Pronase is a commercially available mixture of
protease
A protease (also called a peptidase, proteinase, or proteolytic enzyme) is an enzyme that catalysis, catalyzes proteolysis, breaking down proteins into smaller polypeptides or single amino acids, and spurring the formation of new protein products ...
s isolated from the
extracellular fluid
In cell biology, extracellular fluid (ECF) denotes all body fluid outside the cells of any multicellular organism. Total body water in healthy adults is about 50–60% (range 45 to 75%) of total body weight; women and the obese typically ha ...
of ''
Streptomyces griseus
''Streptomyces griseus'' is a species of bacteria in the genus '' Streptomyces'' commonly found in soil. A few strains have been also reported from deep-sea sediments. It is a Gram-positive bacterium with high GC content. Along with most other ...
''. Activity extends to both denatured and native
protein
Proteins are large biomolecules and macromolecules that comprise one or more long chains of amino acid residue (biochemistry), residues. Proteins perform a vast array of functions within organisms, including Enzyme catalysis, catalysing metab ...
s leading to complete or nearly complete digestion into individual
amino acid
Amino acids are organic compounds that contain both amino and carboxylic acid functional groups. Although over 500 amino acids exist in nature, by far the most important are the 22 α-amino acids incorporated into proteins. Only these 22 a ...
s.
One site that it cleaves at is the inactivation gate of Na+ voltage gated ion channels in neurons.
Pronase is under investigation as a way to improve image quality in
gastroscopy by
thinning the mucus in advance.
See also
*
Proteinase K
References
External links
*
EC 3.4.24
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