Assay of messenger activity of RNA from Bacillus subtilis in heterologous cell-free system and its relation to .ALPHA.-amylase productivity.

Abstract

Bacillus subtilis strains M15, TM23 and T2N26 produced α-amylase at rates of 0, 50 and 350 units/hr/ml, respectively. RNA extracted from cells of these strains were used as messenger sources. These sources stimulated the incorporation of labeled amino acids in a heterologous cell-free protein synthesizing system prepared from Escherichia coli. The amounts of mRNA specific for α-amylase were estimated in vivo and in vitro by precipitation of radio-labeled proteins with anti-α-amylase serum. The results suggest that the capability of α-amylase synthesis in B. subtilis largely reflected the content of mRNA for α-amylase.