BIOSYNTHESIS PROCESS FOR THE PREPARATION OF PROTEIN

본 발명에서는 폴리펩티드 전구체를 코딩하는 플라스미드에 의해 형질전환된 세균성 숙주가 기술되었고, 여기에서 숙주는 발현된 폴리펩티드 전구체와 반응하여 적어도 하나의 탈수아미노산 및/또는 적어도 하나의 탄티온 다리를 함유하는 폴리펩티드를 생산할 수 있는 다중-효소 복합체를 포함한다. 갈리데르민과 같은, 적어도 하나의 탈수아미노산 및/또는 적어도 하나의 란티온 다리를 함유하느 폴리펩티드의 생산방법도 역시 기술되었다. 또한 세균성 숙주를 형질전환할 수 있는 플라스미드도 기술되었다. 란티바이오틱 에피데르민의 생합성에 관여하는 효소인 EpiB, EpiC, EpiD, EpiP 또는 EpiQ를 지정하는 재조합 DNA 분자도 역시 개시되었다. Novel recombinant DNA molecule (I) has a sequence corresp. to one or more DNA sequences contd. in a Bgl II fragment of the 54 Rpb episomal element pTii32 from staphylococcus epidermis and codes for at least one protein having EpiB, EpiC, EpiD, EpiP or EpiQ enzymatic activity; or (I) is capable of hybridising to the BglII fragment and codes for at least one protein with the above enzymatic activities. Also claimed are: the protein EpiB, EpiC, EpiD, EpiP or EpiQ in the absence of impurities with which it is normally associated; a fusion protein compising one of EpiB, C, D, P or Q and an auxiliary protein, a fusion protein in which one of the Epi B, C, D, P or Q is fused to an auxiliary protein such that the junction between the Epi protein and the auxiliary protein can be cleaved by an enzyme; and a method of producing a protein with at least one of the structural features of a lantibiotic. In the novel method comprising inserting a DNA sequence coding for a predetermined aminoacid sequence in a vector plasmid such that it is under the control of a regulator promoter, transforming the resulting plasmid vector into a host and cultivating the host so as to express the DNA and isolating the protein, the improvement comprises also transforming the host by a DNA sequence or sequences comprising functionally operable genes coding for EpiB, C, D, P or Q (or an active variant), the genes being expressed during cultivation of the host so that the resulting protein has at least one of the structural features of a lantibiotic.