APPLICATION OF THE UPSTREAM REGION OF A BACILLUS ENDOGLUCANASE GENE TO HIGH-LEVEL EXPRESSION OF FOREIGN GENES IN BACILLUS-SUBTILIS

A 0.4-kb ScaI-HpaI fragment, 199 bp upstream of the structural gene fo r alkaline endoglucanase, from the alkalophilic Bacillus sp. KSM-64, w as found to be essential for the extracellular production of the enzym e by recombinant Bacillus subtilis tells. We constructed a new vector, pHSP64 (5.5 kb), using pHY300PLK and part of the 5' region of the end oglucanase that contained a possible promoter region. Using recombinan t B. subtilis cells that carried this vector, very high production of two endoglucanases and of chloramphenicol acetyltransferase was done.