Proteases of the genus Bacillus. I. Neutral proteases

B. subtilis NRRL B3411 neutral protease has been extensively purified by solvent, and salt fractional ion, pigment removal with DEAE-cellulose followed by chromatography on hydroxylapatite, and a final passage through a Sephadex G-100 column. The neutral protease was shown to be homogeneous by disc gel and cellulose acetate electrophoresis, gel filtration chromatography, and ultra-centrifugation. The molecular weight was determined by osmometry and ultracentrifugation to be about 38–42,000 and the amino acid composition and zinc content determined. The general properties of the enzyme, pH-activity relationship, stability, effect of inhibitors, and specificity are discussed. Comparative studies were carried out on the B. subtilis NRRL B3411 and B. subtilis var. amylosacchariticus neutral proteases and these enzymes were found to be indistinguishable by the methods used, but quite distinct from the thermostable enzyme thermolysin from B. thermoprotcolyticus.     

Intracellular Proteases of Bacillus stearothermophilus

Cell-free extracts of Bacillus stearothermophilus have been shown to exhibit proteolytic activity toward casein as well as specific activity to catalyze the hydrolysis of furylacryloylglycyl-l-leucine amide, furylacryloylglycine, and carbobenzoxyl-glycine-p-nitrophenyl ester, indicating the presence of a neutral proteinase, a carboxypeptidase-like enzyme, and an alkaline proteinase. The neutral proteinase and carboxypeptidase-like activities were separated by gel filtration over Bio-Gel P-60, and both were reversibly inhibited by 1, 10-phenanthroline. The esterase activity was inhibited by diisopropylfluorophosphate, which did not affect other enzymatic activities and was insensitive to 1, 10-phenanthroline and ethylenediaminetetra-acetic acid.     

Cleavage Site Specificities of Silkworm Alkaline Proteases

The cleavage site specificities of two alkaline proteases isolated from digestive juice of the silkworm larva, Bombyx mori, were analyzed using insulin A and B chains, α-lactalbumin, and egg white lysozyme. One, named P-IIc, could cut Arg-X and Lys-X peptide bonds and another, named P-IIIa, required rather hydrophobic amino acids not only at P1 but also at P4 sites. The effects of some protease inhibitors on P-IIIa could be explained by this requirement.     

Intracellular Proteases of Bacillus subtilis

The purpose of this study was to clarify the relationship between various cultivation conditions and the amounts of the rutin (RT) and protodioscin (PD) in asparagus spears. Green and white spears were grown in open culture and under two different blanching conditions. Although RT was detected only in the green spears, PD was detected mainly in white spears produced by covering with soil. The RT and PD contents of cladophylls grown in an open field and in a closed cultivation system were also investigated, and the closed system resulted in cladophylls with low RT and high PD, unlike the open field.     

Fatty acids in the genus Bacillus. II. Similarity in the fatty acid compositions of Bacillus thuringiensis, Bacillus anthracis, and Bacillus cereus

The nature and relative abundance of fatty acids produced by two strains each of Bacillus thuringiensis and of B. anthracis were studied by gas-liquid chromatography on a 12,000 theoretical plate polyester column capable of partially resolving iso- and anteiso-fatty acids with the same number of carbon atoms. Unsaturated fatty acids as the bromo derivatives were separated from the saturated acids and resolved in a short SE-30 column by use of programmed-temperature gas chromatography. All four strains produced 16 major fatty acids: 9 branched (i-C₁₂, i-C₁₃, i-C₁₄, i-C₁₅, i-C₁₆, i-C₁₇, a-C₁₃, a-C₁₅, and a-C₁₇), 3 normal (n-C₁₄, n-C₁₅, and n-C₁₆), and 4 monounsaturated (i-C₁₆¹⁼, i-C₁₇¹⁼, a-C₁₇¹⁼, and n-C₁₆¹⁼), in addition to some minor fatty acids. In all cases, 12 branched acids, including saturated and monounsaturated, made up over 70% of the total fatty acids, and iso-C₁₅ acid was most abundant. These fatty acid distribution patterns were very similar to those of B. cereus and B. cereus var. mycoides. There were, however, minor but clear differences between the fatty acid distribution patterns of B. thuringiensis and B. anthracis. B. thuringiensis, like B. cereus, produced higher proportions of i-C₁₃, a-C₁₃, and i-C₁₄ fatty acids than did B. anthracis. This difference between these two species could be useful as a supplemental criterion in their differentiation. Indications are that the enzyme systems for monounsaturated fatty acid synthesis in B. thuringiensis and B. anthracis prefer normal fatty acids as substrates rather than branched-chain fatty acids.     

Production of Thermostable Alkaline Proteases by Thermophilic Streptomyces

Conditions for the production of thermostable proteases (alkaline proteinase and carboxypeptidase) by a thermophilic streptomycete (Streptomyces rectus var. proteolyticus) were investigated in 20-liter volumes. Proteinase production was affected by the concentration of defatted soybean powder, its optimum being 1.2% in medium containing 2.0% soluble starch. Relatively high concentration of phosphate (0.3 to 0.4% K(2)HPO(4)) was needed for the maximum enzyme production. A large inoculum size (5 to 10%) was favorable, but the inoculum age did not significantly influence the production. The yield increase of 20 to 30% was obtained by feeding of medium during fermentation. The optimal temperature for proteinase production was 50 C, at which the maximal rate of production was 66.2 proteinase units per ml per hr, whereas at 40 C it was 9.0. Production at 50 C reached the maximum within 12 to 16 hr. The optimal agitation rate was different for the production of proteinase and carboxypeptidase, 400 rev/min for the former and 500 rev/min for the latter. The optimal aeration for proteinase production was 20 to 30 liters/min at 400 rev/min, whereas carboxypeptidase production was not markedly affected by aeration rate. The possibility that carboxypeptidase production was correlated with the shear of mycelium was discussed.     

Distribution of beta-glucanases within the genus Bacillus.

Representative strains (368) from 36 species in the genus Bacillus were screened for the secretion of beta-glucanases. (1 leads to 6)-beta-glucanases active on pustulan were produced by a minority of the organisms studied (4%), but (1 leads to 3)-beta-glucanases which hydrolyzed laminarin and pachyman were more widespread and were secreted by 56 and 44% of the strains, respectively.     

Properties of Two Homologous Alkaline Proteases from Streptomyces rectus

Some physicochemical properties of two thermostable proteases from Streptomyces rectus are described. The enzymes were judged to be identical with respect to molecular weight, inactivation with serine protease inhibitors, and in primary structure by peptide analysis. Amino acid analysis indicated the enzymes had identical compositions except for their amide content. The molecular weights of the enzymes were judged to be 28,000 by sedimentation equilibrium, 26,200 by sedimentation diffusion, and 29,100 from amino acid analysis. Titration of the proteases with diisopropylfluorophosphate and phenylmethane sulfonylfuoride indicate equivalent weights of 28,500 and 32,800 g, respectively, for the proteins. The pentapeptide around the serine residue reacting with diisopropylfluorophosphate was isolated and had the composition: Asx(1), Gly(1), Thr(1), Ser(1), Met(1).     

Extracellular and membrane-bound proteases from Bacillus subtilis.

Bacillus subtilis YY88 synthesizes increased amounts of extracellular and membrane-bound proteases. More than 99% of the extracellular protease activity is accounted for by an alkaline serine protease and a neutral metalloprotease. An esterase having low protease activity accounts for less than 1% of the secreted protease. These enzymes were purified to homogeneity. Molecular weights of approximately 28,500 and 39,500 were determined for the alkaline and neutral proteases, respectively. The esterase had a molecular weight of approximately 35,000. Amino-terminal amino acid sequences were determined, and the actions of a number of inhibitors were examined. Membrane vesicles contained bound forms of alkaline and neutral proteases and a group of previously undetected proteases (M proteases). Membrane-bound proteases were extracted with Triton X-100. Membrane-bound alkaline and neutral proteases were indistinguishable from the extracellular enzymes by the criteria of molecular weight, immunoprecipitation, and sensitivity to inhibitors. The M protease fraction accounted for approximately 7% of the total activity in Triton X-100 extracts of membrane vesicles. The M protease fraction was partially fractionated into four species (M1 through M4) by ion-exchange chromatography. Immunoprecipitation and sensitivity to inhibitors distinguished membrane-bound alkaline and neutral proteases from M proteases. In contrast to alkaline and neutral proteases, proteases M2 and M3 exhibited exopeptidase activity.     

High performance affinity chromatography of Bacillus neutral proteases.

Bacillus neutral proteases were purified using bacitracin-silica as an affinity medium. Several chromatographic procedures were investigated, including high speed runs on columns with 40- to 60-microns silica particles. The high speed procedure enabled the purification of 4.9 mg of B. subtilis neutral protease directly from 165-ml culture supernatant within 1.5 h. The neutral proteases of B. polymyxa and B. stearothermophilus were also purified. The latter enzyme was further concentrated by a second affinity chromatography step, using Sepharose with glycyl-D-phenylalanine as a ligand. During the purification procedures isopropanol was used to prevent autodigestion of the enzymes.     

Multiple proteases from Streptomyces moderatus. II. Physicochemical and enzymatic properties of the extracellular proteases

The physicochemical and enzymatic properties of five different extracellular proteases of Streptomyces moderatus were studied. The first protease was found to be a metal chelator sensitive protease with a Mr of 21,000 +/- 1000 a and a pI of 4.6. The second enzyme was an anionic trypsin-like protease (Mr 19,000 +/- 1000; pI 3.8) with a Km value of 4.76 X 10(-4) M on N-benzoyl-L-arginine-p-nitroanilide. A Km value of 1.52 X 10(-4) M was obtained when N-benzoyl-L-arginine ethyl ester was used as the substrate. The other three enzymes were found to be serine alkaline proteases with Mr's of 22,000, 29,000, and 23,000 +/- 1000 and with respective pI's of 7.8, 8.4, and 9.2. All the proteases showed optimum activity in the alkaline pH range. One of the three proteases was found to possess chymotrypsin and elastase-like properties. All five proteases were found to be unstable at temperatures above 60 degrees C. Except the trypsin-like protease, which was stable only in acidic pH, all other enzymes were found to be stable over a wide range of pH.     

Photoreactivation in the genus Bacillus

Photoreactivation of ultraviolet radiation-induced DNA damage was examined in exponential-phase cells of six mesophilic species of the genus Bacillus. Under the experimental conditions used, it was observed that the laboratory strains B. cereus strain T and B. thuringiensis var. thuringiensis strain NRRL-B4039 exhibited strong photoreactivation (86-fold and 70-fold respectively). Bacillus licheniformis strain ATCC 8480 exhibited moderate (15-fold) photoreactivation. Weak photoreactivation was observed in B. subtilis strain 168 (4-fold) and B. megaterium strain QM B1551 (3.4-fold). Bacillus amyloliquefaciens strain H demonstrated no detectable photoreactivation.