| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Previous Article | Next Article ![]()
Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, November 2007, p. 4009-4014, Vol. 51, No. 11
0066-4804/07/$08.00+0 doi:10.1128/AAC.00537-07
Copyright © 2007, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Service de Bactériologie-Virologie, Hôpital de Bicêtre, Assistance Publique/Hôpitaux de Paris, Faculté de Médecine Paris-Sud, 94275 Le Kremlin-Bicêtre,1 Service de Microbiologie, Hopital Côte de Nacre, Université de Caen, 14033 Caen Cedex, France2
Received 23 April 2007/ Returned for modification 28 June 2007/ Accepted 30 August 2007
A chromosomal ß-lactamase gene from Bacillus clausii NR, which is used as a probiotic, was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. It encodes a clavulanic acid-susceptible Ambler class A ß-lactamase, BCL-1, with a pI of 5.5 and a molecular mass of ca. 32 kDa. It shares 91% and 62% amino acid identity with the chromosomally encoded PenP penicillinases from B. clausii KSM-K16 and Bacillus licheniformis, respectively. The hydrolytic profile of this ß-lactamase includes penicillins, narrow-spectrum cephalosporins, and cefpirome. This chromosome-encoded enzyme was inducible in B. clausii, and its gene is likely related to upstream-located regulatory genes that share significant identity with those reported to be upstream of the penicillinase gene of B. licheniformis. The blaBCL-1 gene was located next to the known chromosomal aadD2 gene and the erm34 gene, which encode resistance to aminoglycosides and macrolides, respectively. Similar genes were found in a collection of B. clausii reference strains.
Published ahead of print on 10 September 2007.
| Clin. Vaccine Immunol. | Clin. Microbiol. Rev. |
|---|---|
| J. Clin. Microbiol. | ALL ASM JOURNALS |