A new cell surface proteinase: sequencing and analysis of the prtB gene from Lactobacillus delbruekii subsp. bulgaricus

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Abstract
Investigation of the chromosomal region downstream of the lacZ gene from Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus revealed the presence of a gene (prtB) encoding a proteinase of 1,946 residues with a predicted molecular mass of 212 kDa. The deduced amino acid sequence showed that PrtB proteinase displays significant homology with the N termini and catalytic domains of lactococcal PrtP cell surface proteinases and is probably synthesized as a preproprotein. However, the presence of a cysteine near the histidine of the PrtB active site suggests that PrtB belongs to the subfamily of cysteine subtilisins. The C-terminal region strongly differs from those of PrtP proteinases by having a high lysine content, an imperfect duplication of 41 residues, and a degenerated sequence compared with the consensus sequence for proteins anchoring in the cell walls of gram-positive bacteria. Finally, the product of the truncated prtM-like gene located immediately upstream of the prtB gene seems too short to be involved in the maturation of PrtB.