Abstract
Bacillus circulans WL-12, a yeast and fungal cell wall lytic bacterium, secretes a variety of polysaccharide degrading enzymes into the culture medium. When β-1, 3-glucanase was induced with pachyman, a β-1, 3-glucose polymer obtained from the tree fungus Poria cocus Wolf, six distinct active molecules of the enzyme with different molecular weights were detected in the culture supernatant of this bacterium. Molecular cloning of one of the β-1, 3-glucanase genes into E. coli was achieved by transforming E. coli HB101 cells with recombinant plasmids composed of chromosomal DNA fragments prepared from B. circulans WL-12 and the plasmid vector pUC 19. A recombinant plasmid containing 4.4kb of inserted DNA in the PstI site of pUC 19, designated as pNT003, conferred the ability to degrade pachyman on E. coli cells. The presence of pNT003 was harmful for E. coli cells and caused cell lysis, especially at higher temperatures of cultivation. β-1, 3-Glucanase activity detected in E. coli was mainly recovered in the periplasmic fraction when cell lysis did not occur. SDS-PAGE analysis revealed that the periplasmic fraction contained four active molecules of β-1, 3-glucanase which corresponded to four of the six active molecules produced by B. circulans WL-12.
