What does gelatinase do to gelatin?

Gelatinase is an enzyme that specifically catalyzes the hydrolysis of gelatin, a protein derived from collagen, into smaller peptide fragments. While it does ultimately lead to the breakdown of gelatin, it does not directly convert it into amino acids in its initial action; instead, gelatinase cleaves gelatin into smaller peptides. These peptides can then be further broken down by other proteolytic enzymes into amino acids, but this is a subsequent step in the metabolic process.

The action of gelatinase is significant in microbiology, particularly in identifying certain bacterial species that possess this ability. For instance, some bacteria can liquefy gelatin as a part of their metabolic processes, indicating the presence of gelatinase.

Given this understanding, the correct choice about gelatinase's primary action is that it hydrolyzes gelatin into peptides rather than breaking it down directly into amino acids, which may lead to confusion regarding the complete degradation pathway of proteins.

This distinction is crucial for students studying microbiology, as it highlights the specific enzymatic functions and pathways involved in microbial metabolism and provides insights into how certain bacteria are classified based on their enzymatic activity.