Collagenase Type IV Solution w/ 1mg/ml Collagenase type IV in DMEM/F12 medium

Collagenases have specificity for the sequence R-Pro-(-X-Gly-Pro) where X is most often a neutral amino acid. Bacterial collagenases have a broader specificity than vertebrate collagenases. They can degrade both water insoluble native collagens and water soluble denatured collagens. The extracellular matrix in animal tissue is a complex mixture of collagens and other extracellular matrix proteins like glycoproteins and protoeglycans. This matrix must be effectively broken down to isolate single cells, without alteration of cellular structures. Crude collagenase is a mixture of collagenases and other proteolytic enzymes which include clostripain, tryptic and a neutral protease activity. This combination of collagenolytic and proteolytic activities is effective in breaking down intercellular matrices, the essential part of tissue dissociation. Collagenases are endopeptidases derived from the fermentation of Clostridium histolyticum that digest native collagen in the triple helix region.