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To mimic the quinone hardening of extracellular proteins in invertebrates, we investigated an enzyme-free crosslinking of gelatin by HQ in a neutral aqueous phase. The mixture was rapidly transformed to a yellowish brown, thermally and mechanically stable hydrogel in the presence of a simple copper(II) salt. A dehydrated thin film made of the mixture was flexible, tough, and showed a large ultimate breaking force. Physicochemical examination of the gel suggested that the basic amino acid residues (lysine, hydroxylysine, and histidine) of the protein were modified by the quinone ring to form 2-6 crosslinks per protein. The enzyme-free crosslinking reaction is discussed with consideration of a copper(II) ion-catalyzed oxidation of HQ and the hydroquinone/protein adducts.

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Streptomyces griseus var. alcalophilus was selected because it secreted a unique protease (protease I) that catalyzed the transfer reaction forming the hydroxamic acids of various amino acids. Protease I was purified to the electrophoretically homogeneous state and an activity of more than 125-fold that of the culture broth. The molecular weight of the enzymewas estimated to be 25,000 by gel filtration. The enzymewas most active in neutral pHfor the transfer reaction forming phenylalanine hydroxamic acid, although for the hydrolytic reaction with casein as substrate it was most active in alkaline pH. The enzyme was inhibited by diisopropylfluorophosphate.Protease I catalyzed the transfer reaction synthesizing the hydroxamic acids of hydrophobic, acidic, basic, and small aliphatic amino acids such as Phe, Tyr, Leu, Asp, Glu, Arg, Lys, Ala, and Gly. These results indicate that protease I has broad donor specificity. It is also considered that protease I is a unique enzymewith transfer activity, and distinct from the alkalophilic proteinase reported previously [Yamamoto et al., Agric. Biol. Chem., 38, 37 (1974)].Proteases such as trypsin, papain, and achymotrypsin catalyze peptide bond hydrolysis via an acyl-enzyme intermediate. Although the equilibrium of the reaction overwhelmingly favors hydrolysis under physiological conditions, the reaction can be reversed by choosing appropriate conditions so that peptide bonds can be synthesized with a protease as catalyst.

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