PREPARATION OF AN ELECTRODE MODIFIED WITH A THERMOSTABLE ENZYME BACILLUS SUBTILIS COTA BY ELECTRODEPOSITION

Bilirubin oxidase activity of Bacillus subtilis CotA.

The spore coat protein CotA from Bacillus subtilis was previously identified as a laccase. We have now found that CotA also shows strong bilirubin oxidase activity and markedly higher affinity for bilirubin than conventional bilirubin oxidase. This is the first characterization of bilirubin oxidase activity in a bacterial protein.

CotA of Bacillus subtilis is a copper-dependent laccase.

The spore coat protein CotA of Bacillus subtilis displays similarities with multicopper oxidases, including manganese oxidases and laccases. B. subtilis is able to oxidize manganese, but neither CotA nor other sporulation proteins are involved. We demonstrate that CotA is a laccase. Syringaldazine, a specific substrate of laccases, reacted with wild-type spores but not with DeltacotA spores. Co...

Biological Containment of Genetically Modified Bacillus subtilis.

Genetic manipulation of bacterial spores of the genus Bacillus has shown potential for vaccination and for delivery of drugs or enzymes. Remarkably, proteins displayed on the spore surface retain activity and generally are not degraded. The heat stability of spores coupled with their desiccation resistance makes them suitable for delivery to humans or to animals by the oral route. Despite these...

Directed evolution of CotA laccase for increased substrate specificity using Bacillus subtilis spores.

Directed evolution is an effective strategy to engineer and optimize protein properties, and microbial cell-surface display is a successful method to screen protein libraries. Protein surface display on Bacillus subtilis spores is demonstrated as a tool for screening protein libraries for the first time. Spore display offers advantages over more commonly utilized microbe cell-surface display sy...

Autolytic enzyme associated with cell walls of Bacillus subtilis.