Screening, Gene Cloning and Expression of Cellulase-Producing Strain Bacillus subtilis Xh-16

Cellulase is a complex enzyme system composed of multiple hydrolytic enzymes. It can degrade cellulose into glucose and improve the utilization efficiency of cellulose resources. Cellulase produced by microorganisms is the main method used in industry, offering the advantages of convenience and being environmentally friendly. A strain Xh-16 with high cellulase production was screened from the rotten rice straw. It was identified as Bacillus subtilis by morphological identification, physiological and biochemical identification, and 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis. Strain Xh-16 was used to degrade rice straw. After a 48 h cellulase treatment, the complete degradation and structural breakdown of the straw were observed. We cloned the endoglucanase Cel5L gene of Bacillus subtilis Xh-16 and induced expression of the cloned gene in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3). The results showed that the coding length of Cel5L gene was 1500 bp, and the molecular weight of the encoded protein was about 55 kDa. The molecular formula is C₂₄₅₆H₃₈₁₁N₆₇₁O₇₆₁S₁₀ and it has 7709 atoms and 499 amino acids. Cel5L differs significantly from some the glycoside hydrolase family 5 cellulases because it has only one carbohydrate binding module family 3 at the C-terminus of its catalytic domain. The cellulase gene Cel5L in Xh-16 can encode active cellulase and can be heterologously expressed in Escherichia coli, which makes Escherichia coli have cellulase function. This study serves as a foundation for further research on cellulase diversity in Bacillus subtilis and offers insights for enhancing cellulase production.