QUANTITATION AND ENZYMATIC-ACTIVITY OF THE ALKALINE PROTEASE FROM PSEUDOMONAS-AERUGINOSA IN CULTURE SUPERNATANTS FROM CLINICAL STRAINS

Alkaline protease from Pseudomonas aeroginosa (E.C. 3.4.24.40), also c alled pseudomonal serralysin, plays an important role in the infection bacterial process. The alkaline protease concentration and activity i n the culture supernatants of 23 Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains from p atients suffering from cystic fibrosis were determined by using an ELI SA procedure and a specific enzymatic activity test. No correlation wa s demonstrated between the activity and the concentration of alkaline protease. This could be explained by the presence of an inactive precu rsor and a partial hydrolysis of the enzyme, confirmed by SDS-PAGE and Western blotting in the supernatants. The activity test is the only o ne allowing a quantification of the presence of an active form of alka line protease.