Table 1

Frequently used protein cleavage reagents

Enzymes
Preferred cleavage site
Approximate frequency

Ancrod
Arg-X, Arg-Gly

Bromelain
C-terminal to Lys, Ala and Tyr

Chymotrypsin
C-terminal to hydrophobic residues, e.g., Phe, Tyr, Trp. Less sensitive with Leu, Met, Ala

Clostripain
C-terminal to Arg residues
20
Collagenase
N-terminal to Gly (X-Gly) in Pro-X-Gly-Pro

Elastase
C-terminal to amino acids with small hydrophobic side chains

Endoproteinase Arg-C
C-terminal to Arg residues
20
Endoproteinase Asp-N
N-terminal to Asp and Cys
10
Endoproteinase Glu-C
C-terminal to Asp and Glu
10
Endoproteinase Lys-C
C-terminal to Lys
20
Factor Xa
C-terminal to Arg in Gly-Arg-X

Ficin
uncharged or aromatic amino acids

Follipsin
Arg-X
20
Kallikrein
C-terminal to Arg in (Phe-Arg-X or Leu-Arg-X)

Pepsin
Broad specificity; preference for cleavage C-terminal to Phe, Leu, and Glu
7
Thermolysin
N-terminal to amino acids with bulky hydrophobic side chains, e.g., Ile, Leu, Val, and Phe 5

Thrombin
C-terminal to Arg

Trypsin
C-terminal to Lys and Arg
10
V8 protease
C-terminal to Glu, less active with Asp


Chemistry
Preferred cleavage site


Cyanogen bromide
Trp, (Met)

Formic acid
Asp – Pro

HCl
Asp-X, X-Asp

Hydroxylamine (alkaline pH)
Asn – Gly

N-bromosuccinimide (NBS) or N- chlorosuccinimide
Trp

2-Nitro-5-thiocyanobenzoate (NTCB)
Cys


Soloviev et al. Journal of Nanobiotechnology 2003 1:4   doi:10.1186/1477-3155-1-4