Cloning, sequencing, and expression of the gene from bacillus circulans that codes for a heparinase that degrades both heparin and heparan sulfate.

The gene, designated hep, coding for a heparinase that degrades both heparin and heparan sulfate, was cloned from Bacillus circulans HpT298. Nucleotide sequence analysis showed that the open reading frame of the hep gene consists of 3,150 bp, encoding a precursor protein of 1,050 amino acids with a molecular mass of 116.5 kDa.