Serratia marcescens ATCC 21074 균주가 세포밖으로 분비하는 metalloprotease 유전자를 대장균으로 클로닝하고 그 발현을 살펴보았다 Serratia marcescens ATCC 21074 균주의 염색체 DNA를 제한효소 HindIII로 절단하고 아가로스 전기영동 후 32P로 표지된 합성 oligonucleotide를 사용하여 southern hybridization한 결과 4.0Kb의 DNA 절편에 metalloprotease가 존재함을 알 수 있었다. 4.0Kb 염색체 DNA 절ㅊ편을 분리하여 pUC19에 연결한 후 대장균으로 transformation하였다.
Molecular cloning of metalloprotease gene from Serratia marcescens ATCC 21074 into Escherichia coli JM109 was carried out. Chromosomal DNA of S. marcescens was completely digested with Hind111 and southern hybridization with a synthetic oligonucleotide probe revealed that a 50 KD metalloprotease gene was contained in 4.0 Kb chromosomal DNA fragment, 4.0 Kb chromosomal DNA fragments eluted from agarose gel were ligated with pUC19 and transformed into E. coli JM109. Nine positive clones were obtained from about $1 imes 10^3$ transformants by colony hybridization. Their recombinant plasmids, pSPl and pSP2 have same chromosomal DNA fragments in pUC19 in opposite-orientations. When cloned metalloprotease gene was expressed in E. coli, about 52 KD precursor protein of metalloprotease was detected by western blot analysis from E. coli harboring a recombinant plasmid pSP2. Plasmid pSP2 showed no protease activities in E. coli but overproduced the active metalloprotease in S. rnarcescens ATCC 27117.
