Simple method for analyzing the purity of protease-containing samples by acid-treatment SDS-PAGE

Sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) is a widely used technique to analyze the purity of a protein. However, it is necessary to denature (via boiling) the samples before subjecting them to electrophoresis. In the case of protease-containing samples, autolysis of the protease can occur, affecting the accuracy of results. In this study, we investigated the methods for analyzing the purity of Dispase I, a thermolysin-like neutral protease. When we analyzed D protease, a neutral metalloprotease component of Dispase I and highly purified Dispase I using the conventional SDS-PAGE method, a large number of bands were detected in both cases. These bands (putative D protease fragments) were assumed to result from autolysis. To inactivate D protease (optimal pH 7-8), 0.05 M sulfuric acid was utilized (pH 0.7-2.5). Using a conventional sample preparation solution, acid-treated Dispase I samples (without boiling) were made, and SDS-PAGE (15% w/v gel) was carried out. Our findings show that autolysis was inhibited under strong acidic conditions, and protein denaturation was achieved by treatment with sulfuric acid and SDS without boiling. Using this modified SDS-PAGE method, the purities of Dispase I and the purified enzyme were determined to be approximately 80% and 98%, respectively. Furthermore, we demonstrated that this method can be applied for the analysis of other samples including non-acidic proteases (e.g., thermolysin, subtilisin, and trypsin) and protease-contaminated samples (a mixed solution of albumin and D protease).