NEW CUTICLE HYDROLYZING ENZYME AND METHOD FOR TREATING ANIMAL HAIR FIBER USING THE SAME

PURPOSE: To obtain the subject new enzyme, capable of acting on a cuticle cell layer which is a surface layer of an animal hair fiber but hardly acting on the inner cell layer and useful for a treating agent, etc., for the animal hair fiber capable of enhancing shrink resistance, lustering, touch feeling, antipilling resistance, dyeability, antistatic properties, etc. CONSTITUTION: This new enzyme has properties of acting on a cuticle cell layer which is a surface layer of an animal hair fiber but hardly acting on the inner cell layer. This method for treating the animal hair fiber is to inoculate a new microorganism having properties of acting on the cuticle cell layer which is the surface layer of the animal hair fiber and hardly acting on the inner cell layer and the ability to produce a new cuticle hydrolyzing enzyme [e.g. Bacillus cereus NS-11 (FERM P-14494)] into a nutrient culture medium, culture the microorganism at 30-32 deg.C temperature for 2-3 days by shaking, produce and accumulate the new cuticle hydrolyzing enzyme in the resultant cultured product, filter the cultured product, concentrate the filtrate, add ammonium sulfate to the concentrate so as to provide 70% saturation, dissolve the formed precipitate in a buffer solution and purify the resultant solution according to an anion exchange column chromatography, etc., an isoelectric precipitation and a gel filtration, etc.