Peptidase Source Courses

Peptidase is an enzyme that is used to break down proteins into smaller peptide fragments. Sources of peptidase enzymes include animals, plants and microorganisms. Animal sources of peptidase enzymes are generally obtained from pancreatic and gastric secretions, most commonly from cows and pigs. Plant sources include the families of saprorphytic fungi and the plant druse group. Microorganism sources are typically strains of bacteria, such as Bacillus subtilis and Escherichia coli, and yeast, particularly Saccharomyces cerevisiae. In addition, some viruses, such as adenoviruses, are reported to produce peptidase enzymes. Peptidases from animal, plant and microorganism sources can also be produced recombinantly, such as through the use of Escherichia coli and other expression systems.