Studies on the digestive proteinase of clothes moth larvae ( Tineola bisselliella)—II : Digestion of wool and other substrates by Tineola proteinase and comparison with trypsin

Abstract

The digestibility of undenatured wool and other substrates by partially purified clothes moth larval proteinase has been compared with that by trypsin. Under the experimental conditions over 30 per cent of wool was digested whereas crystalline trypsin had no effect. Wool was completely digested in 2 hr when 0·125 M cysteine was added to the Tineola enzyme. The clothes moth enzyme can be considered as having distinct keratinolytic activity, but the amount of wool digestion observed in the absence of reducing agents does not account for all of the digestion which occurs in the insect. The role this enzyme in digestion of wool by clothes moth larvae is discussed.