Intracellular proteases of mucor pusillus lindt

ABSTRACT

Mucor pusillus was grown in corn steep liquor medium and the distribution of protease activity between mycelia and fermentation medium was studied at different growth temperatures. Two-thirds to three quarters of the water- soluble protease was associated with the cells and the remainder secreted. The ratio of intracellular to extracellular protease activities decreased when incubation temperatures were increased. Extraction of protease from mycelia was carried out using buffers of different pH. The protease extracted with buffers of pH 9.0 and 10.0 was about 130% of that extracted with distilled water. Some characteristics of the crude preparations of intracellular and extracellullar proteases were determined. Comparison of growth profiles, pH profiles and temperature optima suggested that under the growth conditions chosen, both acid and alkaline proteases were produced in mycelia but only acid proteases were secreted