PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - Recsei, P A AU - Gruss, A D AU - Novick, R P TI - Cloning, sequence, and expression of the lysostaphin gene from Staphylococcus simulans AID - 10.1073/pnas.84.5.1127 DP - 1987 Mar 01 TA - Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences PG - 1127--1131 VI - 84 IP - 5 4099 - http://www.pnas.org/content/84/5/1127.short 4100 - http://www.pnas.org/content/84/5/1127.full SO - Proc Natl Acad Sci USA1987 Mar 01; 84 AB - A 1.5-kilobase-pair fragment of DNA that contains the lysostaphin gene from Staphylococcus simulans and its flanking sequences has been cloned and completely sequenced. The gene encodes a preproenzyme of Mr 42,000. The NH2-terminal sequence of the preproenzyme is composed of a signal peptide followed by seven tandem repeats of a 13-amino acid sequence. Conversion of prolysostaphin to the mature enzyme occurs extracellularly in cultures of S. simulans and involves removal of the NH2-terminal portion of the proenzyme that contains the tandem repeats. The high degree of homology of the repeats suggests that they have arisen by duplication of a 39-base-pair sequence of DNA. In S. simulans, the lysostaphin gene is present on a large beta-lactamase plasmid.