Brief Introduction of The Wide Application of Proteinase K

Protease K, a serine protease, has excellent stability and high enzyme activity, and is widely used. The application of proteinase K is not only in the fields of medical diagnosis, biochemical experiments and scientific research, but also in the fields of industrial leather making, paper making, feed, sewage treatment and so on.

The application of proteinase K in biochemical experiments：

(1) In the extraction of nucleic acids, proteinase K can remove DNase and RNase from nucleic acids, and rapidly degrade the intracellular nuclease released by cell lysis to separate and obtain complete nucleic acid fragments;

(2) In in situ hybridization, proteinase K has the function of degrading the surrounding DNA protein, which can be used to process the sample before hybridization and improve the sensitivity of detection;

(3) In terms of biological detection, proteinase K can be used to detect pathogenic prions in brain tissue.

The application of proteinase K in cosmetics

Haiqian An^[1] and others have found through in-depth studies that proteinase K has a similar effect to papain and can effectively remove the aging cuticle of the skin, thereby restoring the skin to tenderness and radiance. Small amounts used in cosmetics can reduce possible allergic reactions and increase the stability of liquid and semi-solid cosmetics. In addition, proteinase K also has high safety. It can selectively remove the aging cuticle according to the need, and retain part of the cuticle and all the basal layer, without hurting the remaining skin epidermis and dermis.

The application of proteinase K in textiles such as leather and fur:

The depilation and softening of the leather industry have made extensive use of proteases, which not only saves time but also improves labor hygiene conditions. Proteinase K can effectively degrade the characteristics of keratin, to a great extent destroy and peel off the scale layer, and obtain the ideal wool anti-felting effect. Moreover, the effect of proteinase K on wool is concentrated in the scale layer. After treatment, the overall strength of the wool is less damaged, which overcomes the deficiencies of ordinary proteases and has a good comprehensive effect of anti-felting ^[2].

Proteinase K has the potential to replace existing proteases in the washing, tanning and food and feed industries to achieve higher efficiency and lower cost.

Related Links: Proteinase K

References:

1. Application of proteinase K in skin care and cosmetics.CN105193640B

2. Method for felt proofing on wool fabric through proteinase K. CN109972390A