Production and characterization of protease from Penicillium aurantiogriseum URM 4622

Abstract Proteases with new properties are required due to their increasing industrial importance. In this work, the optimal fermentation conditions for the production of a protease from Penicillium aurantiogriseum dierchx (URM-4622) are presented together with partial characterization of the protease catalytic properties. The batch fermentation conditions that allow for the highest specific proteolytic activity are 26 ºC, pH 7.0, and 25 % saturation dissolved O 2 concentration. The obtained protease is stable over a wide range of pH (5.8 to 9.5) and temperature (25 to 40 ºC) values. In the presence of Zn 2+ a 26 % reduction in the enzyme proteolytic activity occurs and, in contrast, Mn 2+ enhances its activity by 28.9 %. 96.2 % and 70.8 % of the protease activity are maintained after 90 min incubation in 5 and 10 % (v/v) H 2 O 2 aqueous solutions, respectively. PMSF inhibition reveals that this enzyme is a serine protease. Protease is able to hydrolyze different proteins