Isolation and purification of cuticle degrading extra cellular proteases from entomopathogenic fungal species of beauveria bassiana and metarhizium anisopliae.

Enhanced Pr1 and Pr2 activities were observed in entomopathogenic fungi Beauveria bassiana (UB9) and Metarhizium anisopliae (UM4) supplemented with casein. Highest activity was observed at 72 hours of incubation when compared to minimal medium (MM) and colloidal chitin amended media. The extra cellular proteases (Pr1 and Pr2) thus isolated were purified through dialysis and their activities were found to be increased by two-fold. Pr1 and Pr2 were subjected to SDS - PAGE analysis and activity gel electrophoresis. The molecular weight of protease produced by Beauveria bassiana (UB9) is 19 KD and that of Metarhizium anisopliae (UM4) is 21 KD.