Immobilization of procerain B, a cysteine endopeptidase, on amberlite MB-150 beads

Proteases are involved in several crucial biological processes and reported to have important physiological functions. They also have multifarious applications in different industries. The immobilized form of the enzyme further improves its industrial applicability. Here, we report covalent immobilization of a novel cysteine endopeptidase (procerain B) on amberlite MB-150 beads through glutaraldehyde by Schiff base linkage. The immobilized product was examined extensively by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis. The characterization of the immobilized product showed broader pH and thermal optima compared to the soluble form of the enzyme. The immobilized form of procerain B also showed lower Km (180.27±6 µM) compared to the soluble enzyme using azocasein as substrate. Further, immobilized procerain B retains 38.6% activity till the 10(th) use, which strongly represents its industrial candidature.