Purification and characterization of an extracellular protease from alkaliphilic and thermophilic Bacillus sp. PS719

An alkaline protease was purified to apparent homogeneity from culture supernatants of Bacillus sp. PS719, a novel alkaliphilic, thermophilic bacterium isolated from a thermal spring soil sample, by ammonium sulfate precipitation followed by DEAE-cellulose and alpha-casein agarose column chromatographies. The purified enzyme migrated as a single protein band of 42 kDa during both denaturing and nondenaturing gel electrophoresis, suggesting that it consists of a single polypeptide chain. Its isoelectric point was approximately 4.8. The protease exhibited maximum activity towards azocasein at pH 9.0 and at 75 degrees C. The enzyme activity was stimulated by Ca2+, but was inhibited in the presence of Fe2+ or Cu2+. The enzyme was stable in the pH range 8.0 to 10.0 and up to 80 degrees C in the absence of Ca2+. Since phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride (PMSF) and 3,4-dichloroisocoumarin (DCI) in addition to N-alpha-p-tosyl-L-lysine chloromethyl ketone (TLCK) completely inhibited the activity, this enzyme appears to be a trypsin-like serine protease. Among the various oligopeptidyl-p-nitroanilides tested, the protease showed a preference for cleavage at arginine residues on the carboxylic side of the scissile bond of the substrate, liberating p-nitroaniline from N-carbobenzoxy (CBZ)-L-arginine-p-nitroanilide with the K(m) and V(max) values of 0.6 mM and 1.0 micromol.min(-1).mg protein(-1), respectively.