Purification of Bacteroides amylophilus protease

A protease was released by Bacteroides amylophilus cells in late stationary phase, approximately 12 hr after maximum cell density was reached. The protease was concentrated by adsorption on diethylaminoethyl (DEAE)-Sephadex and was purified 532-fold by DEAE-Sephadex chromatography, by G-200-Sephadex gel filtration, and by isoelectric focusing. The purified protease was active between pH 4.5 and 12.0 with optima at pH 6.0 and 11.5. Evidence against there being a single protease was given by the differential inhibition of esterase and protease activities by some inhibitors. There was some evidence that only a single protease was present as the ratio of protease activity at various pH values did not alter significantly during purification or when the purified protease was partially heat-inactivated or treated with two specific trypsin-type protease inhibitors: N-alpha-tosyl-l-lysylchloromethyl ketone or phenylmethane-sulfonyl fluoride. Two forms of the same protease were found by acrylamide gel electrophoresis. Gel filtration confirmed the presence of protease in 30,000 and 60,000 molecular-weight forms. Treatment with 1 mm ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid or with 4 m urea failed to convert the 60,000-molecular-weight to the 30,000-molecular-weight species.