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. 1988 Nov;54(11):2793–2797. doi: 10.1128/aem.54.11.2793-2797.1988

Characterization of an Extracellular Protease from the Insect Pathogen Xenorhabdus luminescens

Thomas M Schmidt 1,, Bruce Bleakley 1,, Kenneth H Nealson 1,*
PMCID: PMC204374  PMID: 16347777

Abstract

Xenorhabdus luminescens Hm cultured in gelatin broth produced a single extracellular protease. The protease was purified by a factor of 500 and characterized as a monomeric protein with an approximate molecular weight of 61,000. On the basis of inhibitor studies and its pH optimum, the protease was classified as an alkaline metalloprotease with a pH optimum near 8; the isoelectric point of the enzyme is 4.2 ± 0.2. The protease may be a major factor in the ecology of X. luminescens, which is carried as a symbiom of some parasitic nematodes.

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Selected References

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