納豆激酶 (Nattokinase) 又名 subtilisin NAT,由 Bacillus subtilis var. natto (納豆菌) 所分泌出的胞外絲胺酸蛋白酶。之前研究中,發現其對於血纖維蛋白 (fibrin) 具有直接分解的能力,且也能促進體內組織型蛋白酶原活化因子 (tissue plasminogen activtor,t-PA) 的釋放,增加血纖維蛋白酶 (plasmin) 的生成,進而分解血栓 (fibrin clot) 。納豆激酶包含 signal peptide、propeptide 及mature 三個部分組成。本研究為了探討其反應機制,乃於 Escherichia col i系統表達 Bacillus subtilis var. natto 之納豆激酶,同時針對 signal peptide 及propeptide 對其表達、結構摺疊及活性影響之探討,實驗利用聚合酶連鎖反應 (Polymerase chain reaction,PCR) 增幅 Bacillus subtilis var. natto 中三個不同長度片段的納豆激酶基因 (NK) ,分別包含 pre-pro-mature NK基因 (Full-NK) 、 pro-mature NK基因 (Pro-NK) 及 mature NK基因 (Mature-NK) ,並將其接合在表現載體 pET28a ,再轉殖入表現宿主 E.coli BL21(DE3) 中進行重組蛋白之表達。經IPTG 誘導表現之重組蛋白利用 Ni2+-Sepharose bead 親和性管柱進行純化,並進一步測定其酵素活性。結果經由大腸桿菌表逹的 Mature-NK 重組蛋白為不具活性的包涵體 (inclusion body) 。而從 Full-NK 及 Pro-NK 表達之重組納豆激酶則能分解fibrin ,另利用合成受質 Suc-Ala-Ala-Pro-Phe-pNA 測試 Pro-NK 重組蛋白粗酵素液之活性,並根據 Michaelis-Menten 公式計算求得 Km=0.59 ± 0.01 mΜ 及 Vmax = 1.29 ± 0.01 mΜ / min 。
Nattokinase (also designated Subtilisin NAT) , a potent fibrinolytic enzyme, is extracellular serine protease secreted by Bacillus subtilis var. natto during natto fermentation. Nattokinase not only directly cleaves cross-linked fibrin, but also activates the production of tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) , resulting in the transformation of inactive plasminogen to the active plasmin. Furthermore, nattokinase enhances its fibrinolysis through cleavage and inactivation of the plasminogen activator inhibitor 1(PAI-1) by limited proteolysis. The nattokinase gene encodes a polypeptide with 29 amino acids signal peptide, 77 amino acids propeptide, and 275 amino acids in the mature enzyme. In this study, a recombinant nattoknase was constructed and characterized. Gene of nattokinase with different sequence (mature, pro- and pre-pro- type) was cloned and expressed in E.coli system. After IPTG (1mM) induction, the overexpressed Mature-NK forms as an inclusion body. The Mature-NK activity is not recovery after solubilized by 6M urea solution, purified by Ni2+-Sepharose bead affinity column and refolding by step-wise dialysis. The lysate of Full-NK and Pro-NK showed fibrinolytic activity. Our results indicate that only the gene of nattokinase with prosequence could produce active nattokinase in E.coli expression system. The lysate of recombinant Pro-NK displays a saturation curve with Km of 0.59 ± 0.01 μΜ and Vmax of 1.29 ± 0.01 mΜ/min for the chromogenic substrate, Suc-Ala-Ala-Pro-Phe-pNA in the kinetic assay.