The influence of Bacillus subtilis protein DegU on bacitracin biosynthesis in Bacillus licheniformis

Abstract

Peptide antibiotics, which are synthesised by many microorganisms, display a great structural diversity. Among them is bacitracin that is produced by the Bacillus licheniformis. These peptides are not coded by genes; their biosynthesis takes place with the aid of peptide synthetases. The biosynthesis level of bacitracin has a positive correlation with the level of alkaline proteinase synthesis. Our aim was to raise the level of late enzymes and consequently also the level of bacitracin biosynthesis. We transformed cells from the B. licheniformis BA1 using the gene degU of the B. subtilis, which we believed to be an overall positive regulator in processes of competence and sporulation. We expected that an increased concentration of protein DegU would raise the level of bacitracin biosynthesis. We analysed the clones of the recombinant strains and found them to have proteolytic activity. In two clones of the bacitracin producer B. licheniformis BA1 we ascertained a higher level of production of the peptide antibiotic bacitracin.