Cloning of a ${\beta}-Xylosidase$ Gene from Alkalophilic Bacillus sp. and its Expression in Escherichia coli

Cloning of a ${\beta}-Xylosidase$ Gene from Alkalophilic Bacillus sp. and its Expression in Escherichia coli

A gene coding for ${\beta}-xylosidase$ in alkalophilic Bacillus sp. YC-335 isolated from soil was cloned into Escherichia coli HB101 using plasmid pBR322. The recombinant plasmid pYK40 was isolated, and the cloned HindIII fragment was 15 kilobases (kb). To reduce the size of the inserted DNA fragment of pYK40, the 15 kb HindIII fragment was subjected to a series of subclonings. A 6 kb subfragment was found to code for ${\beta}-xylosidase$ activity, and the recombinant plasmid was named pYK44. Southern hybridization analysis revealed that the cloned gene hybridized with 3.5 kb, 1.5 kb, and 1.0 kb of HindIII cleaved chromosomal DNA from Bacillus sp. YC-335. ${\beta}-xylosidase$ activity produced by recombinant E. coli was found to be 11 times higher than that produced by Bacillus sp. YC-335. Xylan was required to induce the production of ${\beta}-xylosidase$ in Bacillus sp. YC-335.