Salt-Inducible Bionylon Polymer from Bacillus megaterium

Poly-gamma-glutamate (PGA) is a chiral polyamide material that possesses a nylon-like backbone, a bionylon polymer. We examined the PGA productivity of Bacillus megaterium and found NaCl-responsive PGA production in the bacterium. In the system of B. megaterium, salt would be significant in controlling the yield, molecular size, and stereochemistry of bionylon.