A novel extracellular proteinase from Bacillus pumilus

Bacillus pumilus NCTC AII6/73 produces a novel extracellular alkaline proteinase whose optimum is pH 9.5. The purified product from ion-exchange chromatography (DEAE-cellulose) was resolved into two bands by polyacrylamide-sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) gel electrophoresis. These had approximate molecular weights of 15.6 × 10³ and 11.1 × 10³ daltons, respectively, and a high content of glycine and proline, comprising roughly 50% of the total amino acid residues.