• Journal of Life Science
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.228-233
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• 1997

A thiol protease has been isolated and partially purified from encysted brine shrimp Artemia franciscana using a four-step procedure(filtration, salting out, gel filtration and ion exchange chromatography). The optimum pH of the enzyme for caseinolytic activity was appeared to be 3.0, and the enzymematic activity was stable up to pH 6.0 but lost completely at the pH higher than 8.0. The optimal temperature of the enzyme was appeared to be 35$^{\circ}$C, and ninety percent of the enzyme activity was lost at 45$^{\circ}$C. Various metal ions, e.g., zinc, copper, iron, inhibited the enzyme activity; however, heavy metal chelator, e.g., EDTA, stimulated the enzyme activity. The protease was concluded to be a member of the thiol group protease, since it was inhibited by thiol protease inhibitors and iodoacetate. The protease was also concluded to be a acid protease based on optimum pH.