Biosynthesis of bacillomycin D by Bacillus subtilis. Evidence for amino acid-activating enzymes by the use of affinity chromatography.

Bacillomycin D is an antifungal lipopeptide produced by B. subtilis. The formation of the peptidyl bonds of bacillomycin D occurs non-ribosomally, as demonstrated by the use of chloramphenicol, an inhibitor of protein biosynthesis. Amino acid-activating enzymes were found in B. subtilis cell lysates purified by affinity chromatography on a gel containing L-Pro, an amino acid of bacillomycin D. Presence of ATP during this purification increases the binding of enzymatic proteins and their activity. An enzyme, with an apparent molecular weight of 230 kDa, catalyzed ATP-PPi exchange reactions, which were mediated by specific amino acids, corresponding to a partial sequence of bacillomycin D.