Abstract

Trypsin-like activity was detected, purified 48 fold, and characterized from pyloric caeca of the red hind grouper, Epinephelus guttatus. Groupers were obtained from southwestem coastal waters of Puerto Rico. Enzyme purification procedures consisted of arnmonium sulfate fractionation of pyloric caeca homogenate followed by size exclusion chromatography of protein from the resuspended 45% arnmonium sulfate pellet The trypsin-like enzyme has a molecular weight between 17,000 and 44,000 and displays optimal activity in the pH range of 7.0 - 8.0. Because changes in diet can affect the abundance of a particular digestive enzyme in a number of fish species (Jobling 1995, Kapoor et al. 1975), it is possible that red hind groupers and other fish species of the Gulf and Caribbean will display levels of certain digestive enzymes that are characteristic of specific trophic environments. The potential for red hind grouper trypsin-like activity to be utilized as such an environmental indicator is thus considered

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