Molecular Cloning of an Amylase Gene of <i>Bacillus circulans</i>

Abstract

An amylase gene of Bacillus circulans was cloned in B. subtilis and its nucleotide sequence was determined. The putative proamylase consists of 528 amino acids, which correspond to a molecular weight of 58,776. Homologous regions with other amylases of Bacillus species were found. A sigma 55-type promoter is located at about 250 bp upstream from the starting codon. This promoter was also functional in Escherichia coli, and able to express beta-galactosidase activity.