Detection of multiple forms of proteolytic enzymes by starch gel electrophoresis
A rapid and sensitive method for the direct detection of multiple forms of proteolytic enzymes by starch gel electrophoresis is described. The location of the enzyme components is identified by the degradation of hemoglobin which is included in the starch gel. This method was used to identify the enzyme components of the 10 commercial proteolytic enzymes bromelain, chymotrypsin, ficin, papain, pepsin, pronase B, protease, proteinase, and two preparations of trypsin. The effects of urea concentration and the ionic strength of aluminium lactate buffer were also examined. The best results were obtained with 3 M urea and with an ionic strength of 0.1 for the lactate buffer. It was observed that the number of enzyme components decreased with increasing concentrations of urea or increasing ionic strength of lactate buffer. The number of enzyme components did not always correspond to the number of protein bands. Self-digestion occurred in some of the protein bands in the starch gel after electrophoretic separation of the proteolytic enzymes.