Characterization of Bacillus cereus SH-7 Extracellular Protease

An extracellular endopeptidase from Bacillus cereus SH-7 was purified to homogeneity. The protease was most active at pH 8 and $40{\circ}C$, respectively. The molecular mass of the protease was 40 kDa on SDS-PAGE, and 120 kDa by gel filtration, suggesting that the native enzyme is composed of three homogeneous subunits. The $K_m\;and\;V_{max}$ values of the protease for N-succinyl-$(Ala)_2$-Pro-Phe-p-nitroanilide were 11.11 mM and 170 nmol/mg of protein/min, respectively. The protease was also identified as a metalloprotease. The bioactivity of the SH-7 protease will need further study in the future.