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Gene Cloning in Bacilli Related to Enhanced Penicillin Acylase Production

Abstract

We have isolated bacillus strains highly productive for penicillin acylase using conventional mutagenesis and screening techniques. This report describes the isolation of a 2.7 kb chromosomal DNA fragment from Bacillus megaterium which, when inserted in a multi–copy vector and transferred into one of these highly productive strains, results in a further increase in productivity. This fragment did not direct the synthesis of active enzyme when transformed into Bacillus subtilis, which does not naturally produce penicillin acylase. This report also describes the cloning of a 6.2 kb B. megaterium DNA fragment containing at least five of the structural genes of the tryptophan biosynthesis pathway. All of these genes are expressed at a functional level in B. subtilis.

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McCullough, J. Gene Cloning in Bacilli Related to Enhanced Penicillin Acylase Production. Nat Biotechnol 1, 879–882 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1038/nbt1283-879

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