Comparative Analysis of Proteolytic Enzymes of Human and Pulmonary Freshwater Molluscs

Abstract

The article is devoted to substantiating the feasibility of obtaining proteolytic enzymes from the tissues of pulmonary freshwater molluscs for use in scientific and practical purposes. The article presents the results of the two phases of the study. Initially, the authors conducted a comparative analysis of the biochemical parameters of human, rat tissues and molluscs, and then they evaluated the degree of proteolytic enzymes homology in humans and molluscs using methods of bioinformatics. The results of studies of the first stage showed that the tissues of pulmonary freshwater molluscs can serve as the starting material for the production of proteins, including enzymes. The results of the second stage of research showed that in humans and molluscs the homology of the enzymes of unregulated proteolysis is 66–69 % and that of the proteolytic enzymes of the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway is 72–76 %. The obtained results substantiate the possibility of forming aquaculture of molluscs in order to obtain from their tissues proteolytic enzymes for use in biopharmaceutics, cosmetology and the food industry.