PAPAIN

Uses

Papain is used in dissecting solutions. It is used to produce Fab fragments of antibodies. It is used for cell dissociation since it has been shown to be more effective and less damaging with certain tissues. Papain has been used to isolate morphologically intact cortical neurons from postnatal rats. Limited papain digestion is used for structural studies of enzymes and other proteins. In addition, papain is used in red cell serology to modify the red cell surface to enhance or destroy the reactivity of many red cell antigens. Papain is useful for platelet serology studies. Papain has also been used in the enzymatic synthesis of amino acids, peptides, and other molecules. Product P4406 is agarose-linked papain and is provided as a lyophilized powder stabilized with lactose. Product P4406 has been used to digest purified anti-JMJD6 hamster monoclonal antibody into Fab fragments.

Biochem/physiol Actions

Papain papaya latex has antifungal activity against C. albicans. It is a cysteine protease that cleaves peptide bonds of basic amino acids, leucine, or glycine.. The pH optimum is 6.0-7.0. Papain hydrolyzes esters and amides. Papain consists of a single polypeptide chain with three disulfide bridges and a sulfhydryl group necessary for activity of the enzyme.