Purification and Characterization of A Cell Wall Hydrolyzing Enzyme Produced by An Alkalophilic Bacillus sp. BL-29

A strain BL-29, which produces a extracellular lytic enzyme on E. coli was isolated from the soil. The strain was identified as belonging to the genus Bacillus sp. The lytic enzyme was purified to homogeneity by ion exchange chromatography and gel filtration. Specific activity of the purified enzyme was 28, 850 U/mg protein and yield of the enzyme was 5$%$. The purified enzyme showed a single band on SDS-PAGE and its molecular weight was estimated to be 31, 000 by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and gel filtration column chromatography. The optimum temperature and pH were $55^{\circ}C$ and pH 10.0, respectively. The enzyme was stable at $45^{\circ}C$ but enzyme activity was reduced by up to 50$%$ when the temperature was raised to $55^{\circ}C$ for 15 min. Stable range of pH was from 5.0 to 11.0. but Enzyme activity was inhibited by lead-acetate, mercuric chloride, ethylene glycol-bis-[$\beta$-aminoethyl ether]-N, N, $N^1, $N^1$-tetraacetic acid (EGTA), and ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA), but not affected considerably by treatment with other chemical reagents.