• The Korean Journal of Mycology
• /
• v.36 no.2
• /
• pp.183-188
• /
• 2008

A fibrinolytic serine protease was purified from the fruiting bodies of an edible mushroom, Albatrellus confluens. The enzyme had a molecular mass of 30086.41 Da, as measured by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. The N-terminal amino acid sequence of the enzyme was Glu-Thr-Val-Thr-Glu-Thr-Thr-Ala -Pro-Trp-Gly-Leu-Ser-Arg-Ile. It displayed optimal activity at $50^{\circ}C$ and within a pH range of $8.0{\sim}10.0$, suggesting that the enzyme is an alkaline protease. The enzyme was stable up to $30^{\circ}C$. The enzyme displayed a strong substrate specificity for the synthetic peptide, N-Suc-Ala-Ala-Pro-Phe pNA. The enzyme activity was completely inhibited by addition of PMSF, indicating that the enzyme is a serine protease. No inhibition was observed following addition of E-64, pepstatin, or EDTA. The activity of the purified enzyme was decreased in the presence $Fe^{2+}$ or $Co^{2+}$, and the enzyme was completely inhibited by addition of $Hg^{2+}$. From these results, we propose that Albatrellus confluens could be used for biofunctional foods development and has potential therapeutic value for the treatment of vascular diseases.