The DNA sequence of the gene and genetic control sites for the excreted B. subtilis enzyme P-glucanase. Nucleic Acids Res

The sequence of a 1409 base pair restriction fragment con-taining the B. subtilis gene for (1-3) , (1-4)- f>-D-glucan endoglu-canase is reported. The gene is encoded in a 726 base pair seg-ment. The deduced amino acid sequence of the protein has a hydro-phobic signal peptide at the NH2"terminus similar to those found in five other secreted proteins from Bacillus. The gene is pre-ceded by a sequence resembling promoters for the vegetative B_. subtil is RNA polymerase. This is followed by a sequence resemb-1 ing a B.subtilis ribosome binding site nine nucleotides before the first codon of the gene. Two sequences, one before and one after the gene, can be arranged in secondary structures similar to transcriptional terminators. There is also a short open read-ing frame coding for a hydrophobic protein on the minus strand just upstream from the (J-glucanase gene. A possible role for this gene in the control of expression of (3-glucanase is suggested