Molecular Cloning of an Amylase Gene ofBacillus circulans

Abstract
An amylase gene of Bacillus circulans was cloned in B. subtilis and its nucleotide sequence was determined. The putative proamylase consists of 528 amino acids, which correspond to a molecular weight of 58,776. Homologous regions with other amylases of Bacillus species were found. A σ55-type promoter is located at about 250 bp upstream from the starting codon. This promoter was also functional in Escherichia coli, and able to express β-galactosidase activity.