Non-recombinant Mutagenesis of Bacillus subtilis MTCC 2414 for Hyper Production of Laccase

The advent of protein engineering and sophisticated molecular technologies has opened possibilities for screening variants of enzymes and tailor-made proteins from microorganisms with enhanced production yields which may be of interest for specific commercial applications. During this investigation the indigenous strain of Bacillus subtilis MTCC 2414 procured from Institute of Microbial Technology (IMTECH) Chandigarh, India was improved for enhanced laccase production by using physical mutagen (ultraviolet rays) and chemical mutagens viz.,0.5 mg/ml ethidium bromide and 0.5 mg/ml ethyl methane sulfonate. Mutant GCBR 4 with hyper laccase production (178.8 ± 3.67 U/ml)was obtained after treating wild strain for 80 min with ethidium bromide. The effectiveness of hyper laccase producing mutant GCBR4 indicates its possible applicability in various biotechnological and industrial processes.