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Cellulase genes from thermophilic alkalophilic Bacillus sp. F204 a potent cellulase complex-producing bacterium, were cloned in Escherichia coli with pUC 19. Plasmids pBC191 and pBC192, isolated from transformants forming yellow zone around colony on the LB agar plate containing 0.5% carboxymethyl cellulose and ampicillin, contained 4.6 Kb and 5.8 Kb HindIII fragments, respectively. The 4.6 Kb insert of pBC191 had single sites for BamHI EcoRI, KpnI and PvuII. DNA hybridization and immunodiffusion studies showed that pBC191-encoded cellulase gene was homologous with that of host strain. pKC231, constructed by inserting 4.6 Kb insert of pBC191 at the HindIII site of pKK223-3, E. coli expression vector, and pGC711, constructed by inserting 4.6 Kb insert of pBC191 at the HindIII site of pGR71, E. coli and B. subtilis shuttle vector, had 3.2 times and 2.8 times as much cellulase activity as pBC191, respectively. Substrate specificity analysis showed that cellulases cloned were CMCase.
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