Table 1.
Proteases that Disperse Biofilms.
| Enzyme | Summary | References |
|---|---|---|
| Aureolysin (Aur) | A staphylococcal metalloprotease that has been shown to disrupt S. aureus biofilms by degrading Bap and clumping factor b. | [17,20] |
| LapG Protease | A protease produced by Pseudomonas putida that has been shown to trigger dispersal through modification of the outer membrane-associated, exopolysaccharide-binding protein, LapA. | [21] |
| Proteinase K | A highly reactive and stable serine protease that exhibits a broad range of cleavage by targeting peptide bonds adjacent to the carboxylic group of aliphatic and aromatic amino acids. It is active against the biofilms produced by a range of bacteria, including S. aureus, Listeria monocytogenes, Staphylococcus lugdunensis, Staphylococcus heamolyticus, Gardnerella vaginalis, and Escherichia coli, Heamophilus influenza, and Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus. | [22,23,24,25,26,27,28,29] |
| Spl Proteases | A group of six Staphylococcal serine proteases that have been shown to be involved in S. aureus biofilm dispersal, possibly by cleaving the cell wall-associated protein, EbpS. | [30,31] |
| Staphopain A (ScpA), Staphopain B (SspB) | Staphylococcal cysteine proteases that have been shown to disperse S. aureus biofilms through degradation of (an) unknown target(s). | [19,20] |
| Streptococcal Cysteine Protease (SpeB) | A Streptococcus pyogenes cysteine protease that is historically known to be involved in immune evasion by the pathogen, owing to its cleavage of host immune molecules, as well as tissue invasion by way of host ECM degradation. However, SpeB has more recently been shown to be involved in dispersal of in vivo S. pyogenes biofilms via hydrolysis of surface proteins M and F1, which are hypothesized to be involved in microcolony formation. | [32,33] |
| Surface-protein-releasing enzyme (SPRE) | An endogenous Streptococcal protease that has been shown to cause Streptococcus mutans monolayer biofilm detachment from a colonized surface via the release of the surface protein, antigen P1. | [34] |
| Trypsin | A pancreatic serine protease that cleaves peptides at the carboxyl side of lysine or arginine. It is active against biofilms made by multiple bacterial species, including Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Streptococcus mitis, Actinomyces radicidentis, Staphylococcus epidermidis, and Gardnerella vaginalis. | [25,26,35,36] |
| V8 Serine Protease (SspA) | A staphylococcal serine protease that degrades fibronectin binding proteins and Bap in S. aureus biofilms. | [17,37] |