Proteolysis is the enzymatic cleavage of proteins. These enzymes are commonly used for
digestion of food or protection from attack from parasites. In terms of their use as a
biochemical tool then they are used to break proteins down into chunks which can
be more easily analysed. Myosin is a typical example of this as the molecule is
not only very large but it also has the ability to self associate which affects
the homogeneity of the sample. The diagram shown below illustrates the cleavage
sites that have been found for myosin and the table just gives a little
information about the fragments that are created.
| Fragment | Mol. weight (k.Da.) |
Approx. length (nm) |
|
HMM |
520 |
65 90 11 130 |
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An
historical look at muscle contraction