Levansucrase of Bacillus subtilis : reexamination of some physical and chemical properties.

To give some support to researchs presently in progress in this institute, on the sequence elucidation and the X-Ray pattern of the levansucrase of B. subtilis, some physical and chemical properties of this enzyme were carefully reexaminated. The results explicit and on some points rectify previous reports from this laboratory. The molecular weight was measured by three different methods: sedimentation equilibrium, SDS-gel electrophoresis, gel filtration. They give an average value of 54000 g. From this molecular weight and the value of the Stokes' radius, an estimate of the frictional ratio f/fo was calculated. These results provide some knowledge about the size and the shape of the molecule. They are consistent with the electronic microscopy observations obtained elsewhere. The amino acid composition was determined from the acid hydrolysate. The nature of the sulfur containing aminoacid was established by analysis of (35-S)-labelled levansucrase : neither cysteine nor cystine were found in the molecule. The methionine residues appear essentially under unoxidized form. One terminal residue was characterized by the dansylation method using (14-C)-labelled dansyl chloride. An explanation of the affinity of the levansucrase on hydroxyapatite was attempted.