Abstract
Screening experiments for δ-ornithine acylase activity in soil bacteria have been carried out for the purpose of finding out new enzymes. A number of bacteria were cultured on the medium containing 5-N-acyl-L-ornithine, and the cultural broth were examined the liberated ornithine by paper chromatography. Then, δ-ornithine acylase activities of these bacteria, which appeared a distinct spot of ornithine, were measured by estimation of liberated ornithine after incubation of 5-N-acyl-L-orthinine with their acetone powder. As a result, the δ-ornithine acylase activity was observed in some soil bacteria and a strain (KT 801) showed the highest activity. KT 801 was isolated by using the synthetic medium containing 5-N-benzoyl-L-ornithine as a sole source of carbon and confirmed to belong in Pseudomonas group. δ-Ornithine acylase of KT 801 hydrolyzes 6-N-acyl-L-lysine and 5-N-acyl-L-ornithine, although KT 83 (Pseudomonas sp.) hydrolyzes 6-N-acyl-L-lysine but not 5-N-acyl-L-ornithine, and KT 511 (Brevibacterivm sp.) hydrolyzes ω-phenylacetyl derivatives of lysine and ornithine but not the benzoyl derivatives.
