Collagenase in mineralized tissues of human teeth

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Abstract
A collagenase cleaving native type I [14C]collagen but inactive against the synthetic substrate Pz‐Pro‐Leu‐Gly‐Pro‐D‐Arg was extracted from mineralized human dental tissue. The enzyme specifically degrades native collagen into characteristic products () and (). Its apparent molecular mass of 68 kDa is relatively high in comparison with collagenases from other oral tissues. The enzyme is a metalloproteinase inhibited by low concentrations of the chelating agents EDTA, 1,10‐phenanthroline, αα'‐dipyridyl, and not affected by diisopropylfluorophosphate, soybean trypsin inhibitor, and p‐chloromercuribenzoate. It is stable to lyophilization and can be stored at −20°C for at least 6 months.