Partial Genome Analysis of Alkaliphilic Bacillus sp. C-125

　

Hideto TAKAMI^*a, Kaoru NAKASONE^a, Chie HIRAMA^a, Yoshihiro TAKAKI^a, Noriaki MASUI^a, Yuka NAKAMURA^a, Fumie FUJI^a, Akira INOUE^a, Shinsuke NAKADE^b, Naotake OGASAWARA^c, and Koki HORIKKOSHI^a

　

^a The DEEPSTAR Group, Japan Marine Science and Technology Center, 2-15 Natsushima, Yokosuka 237, Japan

^b Research and Education Center for the genetic information, Nara Institute of Science and Technology, 8916-5 Takayama, Ikoma, Nara 630-01, Japan

^c Graduate School of Biological Sciences, Nara Institute of Science and Technology, 8916-5 Takayama, Ikoma, Nara 630-01, Japan

　

Since 1969, we have isolated a great number of alkaliphilic bacteria from various environments and purified many alkaline enzymes. In the past more than two decades, our studies have been focused on enzymology, physiology, molecular biology, and genetics of alkaliphilic microorganisms to establish a new alkaline microbiology (1).

Industrial applications of these microbes have been investigated and some enzymes have been commercialized. It is well known that these commercial enzymes brought great advantage to industry. Genes and gene manipulation of industrial enzymes such as cyclomaltodextrin glucanotransferases, proteases, cellulases, and xylanases have been studied. Subsequently, many microbiologists have reported on alkaline enzymes from alkaliphilic microbes. However, although some enzymes possessing unique and excellent properties have been isolated, they could not be good candidate for the next commercialization because of mainly poor productivity of the enzyme.

On the other hand, the study on adaptation mechanism to alkaline environment was initiated in the early 1980s and molecular biological approaches have also started since 1988. Bacillus sp. C-125 isolated as a xylanase producer is best characterized strain physiologically and biochemically among all isolates. Some genes which can recover alkaliphily in the alkali-sensitive mutants were isolated from the C-125 in 1990 (2). Although alkali-sensitive mutants recovered alkaliphily by introducing pALK1 or pALK2 plasmid, a function of gene product encoded on the plasmid is still unknown and we don't know how many genes involve in keeping alkaliphily either. Thus, we still have some problems which should be resolved for further progress of basic and applied alkaline microbiology.

Recently, whole genome analysis of Bacillus subtilis which is close to the C-125 except alkaliphily was completed by the collaboration project between Japan and European Community. The size and GC content of the C-125 chromosome are almost

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