A purification and some properties of two proteases from papaya latex.

Two proteases, one of which is papaya peptidase A and the other a previously unknown enzyme in papaya latex have been purified to homogeneity in a simple two stage process. Both are markedly less reactive than papain or chymopapain. Each has a molecular weight of 24,000, N-terminal sequences commencing Leu-Pro-Glu, and contains no carbohydrate. Their amino acid compositions differ for several residues. The essential -SH groups of the enzymes examined appear to be 'masked' in the native state.