Protease is an enzyme used to break down proteins by hydrolysing peptide bonds.

• Used to digest the neurolemma in the antennal lobe of the moth; Heliothis virescens
• One unit will hydrolyse casein to produce color equivalent to 1,0 μmol (181 μg) of tyrosine per min at pH 7,5 at 37 °C (color by Folin-Ciocalteu reagent)

Protease is used to degrade proteins, to study protease inhibitors and to study thermal inactivation kinetics. Protease is used in nucleic acid isolation procedures in incubations. Protease from Bacillus licheniformis, has been used to hydrolyse muscle during the isolation of mitochondria from skeletal muscle.

Protease catabolises proteins by hydrolysis of peptide bonds. Proteases are inactivated by serine active-site inhibitors, such as phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride (PMSF) and diisopropylfluorophosphate.

he enzyme hydrolyses gelatin optimally at 50 °C over the range of pH 8 to 10. It is stable between pH 6 to 10 at 50 °C. Commercially, it is used in laundry detergent formulations and also for the recovery of silver from photographic emulsions.