Collagenase Type IV

Collagenase is an enzyme derived from the fermentation of Clostridium histolyticum. Collagenases are endopeptidases that digest native collagen in triple helix region. Collagenases have specificity for the sequence R-Pro-(-X-Gly-Pro) where X is most often a neutral amino acid. Bacterial collagenases have a broader specificity than vertebrate collagenases. Bacterial collagenases can degrade both water insoluble native collagens and water soluble denatured collagens. The extracellular matrix in animal tissue is a complex mixture of collagens and other extracellular matrix proteins like glycoproteins and protoeglycans. This matrix must be effectively broken down to isolate single cells, without alteration of cellular structures. Crude collagenase is a mixture of collagenases and other proteolytic enzymes. It contains a sulphydryl protease, clostripain, a trypsin-like enzyme and an aminopeptidase. This combination of collagenolytic and proteolytic activities is effective at breaking down intercellular matrices, the essential part of tissue dissociation.