Purification of Matrixins from Marine Cephalopod

Matrixins play a major role in tissue regeneration and also in various patho-physiological processes. Discovery of matrix metallo proteins (MMPs) and their detailed structural and functional analysis would lead to the development of numerous potent synthetic inhibitors of matrixins to treat certain diseases. In the present investigation, a marine cephalopod- Octopus sp. collected from Cochin, in the south western Indian Ocean was used as animal model for purification of matrixins. The measurements, count, indices and other morphometric characters were noted down before assessing the presence of matrixins in the crude extract of Octopus samples. Purification of matrixins was carried out employing gel filtration chromatography and the purified matrixins was confirmed by gelatin zymogram. The purity of the protein was checked by both native and SDS-PAGE. The studies have provided clear indications of production of MMPs or matrixins with gelatinolytic activity in Octopus sp.