Subtilin properties

Last but not least, it should be mentioned that a couple of peptidases have industrial importance. In particular, since subtilisins have a broad substrate specificity and are highly stable at neutral and alkaline pH they are of considerable industrial interest as protein-degrading additives to detergents. These reasons combined with their large data base make subtilisins attractive for protein engineering. Extensive engineering studies have been carried out on the Bacillus subtilins and more than 500 site-directed mutants have been produced to alter specific enzyme properties, such as pH profile, thermal stability or substrate specificity (see e. g. references[37 391). 

Whereas neatly 20 lantibiotics are known, only a few have been subjected to mutagenesis with a view to structure-function studies and making lantibiotics with novel properties and uses. The lantibiotics that have been engineered include nisin (A and Z) (127-133), subtilin (124,134), gallidermin (135), epidermin (135), and Pep5 (136,137), and the general progress has been reviewed (124,138)-... 

C. The Unusual Chemical Properties of the Dha Residue of Subtilin and Nisin... 

Chakicberlp A, Hansen JN. Role of the leader and structural ri ions of prelantibiotic peptides as assessed by expressing nisin-subtilin chimeras in Bodllus subrilis 168, and characterization of their physical, chemical, and antimicrobial properties, J Biol Chem 1995 270 23533-23539. 

It is to Jansen and Hirschmann (320) that we owe the discovery of an antibiotic product called subtilin in cultures (cells and media) of B. aubiilis. These workers pointed out several properties of the crude product which they isolated and later work showed that subtilin was a peptide. 

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