A Cysteine Protease Isolated from the Latex of Ficus microcarpa: Purification and Biochemical Characterization

A plant protease named microcarpain was purified from the latex of Ficus microcarpa by acetonic (20–40 % saturation) precipitation, Sephadex G-75 filtration, and Mono Q-Sefinose FF chromatography. The protease was purified with a yield of 9.25 % and a purification factor of 8. The molecular weight of the microcarpain was estimated to be 20 kDa by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). The purified enzyme showed maximum activity at pH 8.0 and at a temperature of 70 °C. Proteolytic activity was strongly inhibited by dithio-bis-nitrobenzoic acid (DTNB), Hg, and Cu. The N-terminal amino acid sequence of the purified microcarpain “VPETVDWRSKGAV” showed high homology with a protease from Arabidopsis thaliana. Inhibition studies and N-terminal sequence classified the enzyme as a member of the cysteine peptidases family.