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Concerning digestion enzymes - How do digestion enzymes work really? (May/15/2007 )

Hi,
I have used a few different digestion enzymes (such as trypsin and collagenase) to isolate cells from tissue and/or subculturing. Most people say that these enzymes cut or damage different cell surface receptors. Does anyone know how trypsin and/or collagenase works, what are they targetting and what are the differences?

D

-DLY-

Hi,
Here is what i could remember from courses of years ago.
Trypsin usually cuts after basic mino acids in a peptide and collagenase is a metalloprotease that specifically disrupts collagene (which is the main glycoprotein of the connective/conjonctive tissue) at certain points .
These two are just enzymes that will help destroying the peptide matrix that holds the cells together.

Of course if you let them for too long, I guess that since trypsin's activity is not so specific, you have greater chances to damage cells receptors.

-minus-