CLONING AND SEQUENCING OF THE LEUC AND NPRM GENES AND A PUTATIVE SPOIV GENE FROM BACILLUS-MEGATERIUM DSM319

The leuC gene, encoding 3-isopropylmalate dehydrogenase, the nprM gene (neutral protease) and a sporulation gene coding for a putative spoIV protein (spoIV) from Bacillus megaterium DSM319 were cloned and the n ucleotide sequences were determined. The leuC gene is 1101 bp in lengt h, preceded by a ribosome binding site; no promoter consensus sequence could be found. The nucleotide sequence from nprM when compared to th e recently published gene from B. megaterium ATCC 14581 exhibited only a 17-base pair deviation. From a sporulation mutant isolated after tr ansposon-mutagenesis with transposon Tn917 the insertion site of the t ransposon was cloned and adjacent chromosomal fragments were character ized. An open reading frame that encodes for a putative spo protein of 247 aminoacid residues was identified.