Serratia marcescens and its extracellular nuclease

Abstract

Serratia marcescens produces an endonuclease with extraordinarily high specific activity that is released into the surrounding medium. This enzyme has been the focus of studies on gene regulation, protein secretion, endonuclease action, and protein structure; it has also been found to have many applications in biotechnology. Here we briefly review these different facets of research regarding the Serratia nuclease and summarize the current state of knowledge about this enzyme.