角蛋白降解的研究现状及应用

Research Status and Application of Keratin Degradation

角蛋白是一类有着高度稳定性的结构蛋白,在自然界中分布广泛,普遍存在于羽毛、头发、羊毛等。角蛋白的分子间存在着高度交联的盐键、氢键、二硫键和其他交联键,其结构具有高度稳定性,普通的消化酶很难有效地将其降解,导致其在自然界中长期堆积,产生环境污染,已成为各类蛋白废弃物的榜首。传统的物理化学方法降解角蛋白的效率极低,生成产物不稳定且对环境易产生污染。相比之下,生物降解角蛋白更为理想,不仅反应过程高效、节能,不易造成环境污染,而且反应条件温和,降解产物性质稳定,具有广阔的发展潜力与极高的实用性。本文着重介绍微生物角蛋白酶分子及其降解机理的研究进展,并简述角蛋白及角蛋白酶在医疗、饲料和环境治理等方面的相关应用。

Keratin is a tough, fibrous and recalcitrant structural protein which widely distributed in nature. It has high structural stability because of a high degree of cross-linking through disulfide bridges, hydrogen bonds, salt bonds and other bonds. Some common proteases can hardly degrade the keratin, which makes it stacked for a long time and is harmful for environment, but keratinase can degrade insoluble keratins efficiently and exclusively. Compared with the traditional physical degradation and chemical degradation, microbial degradation by keratinase not only can utilize keratin more efficiently, but also react more mildly, make more stable products and less environmental pollution, which has higher practicability and developmental potencies. This overview focuses on introducing the research status about keratinase in molecular aspects, the mechanism of keratin degradation by microbial keratinases, and some applications of keratinase.