대장균의 세포질내에 존재하는 단백질 분해효소(protease Ci)를 추출하여 그 성질을 조사하였다. 이 효소는 insulin, glucagon 및 bovine growth hormone을 분해시키나, bovine serum albumin, casein 및 globin 등은 분해시키지 않는다. 이 효소의 native 한 상태에서의 분자량은 120,000이며, 54,000 dalton의 동일한 2개의 subunit로 구성되어 있다. Protease Ci의 최적 pH는 7.5이며 등전점은 5.5이다. 이 효소는 o-phenanthroline에 의해 저해되며, $Mn^++나 Co^++$와 같은 metal 이온들에 의하여 활성화되므로 metalloprotease임을 알 수 있다. 이 효소는 p-hydroxymercuribenzoate에 의해서 크게 저해되나 sulfhydryl protease의 specific한 저해제인 Ep475와 leupeptin에 의해서는 영향을 받지 않는다. 대장균 세포내에서는 또 다른 insulin 분해효소 (protease Pi)가 존재하는데, 이 효소는 periplasm에 존재하므로 protease Ci와는 다르다.
A cytoplasmic endoprotease, named protease Ci, has been partially purified by classical chromatographic procedures. This enzyme degrades insulin, glucagon and bovine growth hormone to trichloroacetic acid-soluble materials, but shows little or no hydrolysis of bovine serum albumin, casein or globin. It has a molecular weight of about 120,000 as determined by gel filtration on Sephadex G200, and it appears to be consisted of two identical subunits having molecular weight of 54,000 when estimated by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate. Protease Ci has an optimum pH of 7.5, and has an isoelectric point of 5.5. This enzyme is a metalloprotease, since it is inhibited by o-phenanthroline and can be activated by the addition of divalent metal cations, such as $Mn^++$ and $Co^++$. Protease ci is inhibited by p-hydroxymercuribenzoic acid, but not by either of leupeptin or Ep475 which are specific inhibitors of sulfhydryl protease. It is distinct from protease Pi, a perplasmic insulin degrading enzyme, since protease Ci is localized to the cytoplasm. The physiological function of protease Ci is presently unknown.
