The sipM gene of Bacillus megaterium encoding a type I signal peptidase (SPase) was isolated and structurally characterized. RNA analysis revealed a transcript size in accordance with a bicistronic operon comprising sipM and an adjacent open reading frame. Inactivation of sipM by targeted gene disruption could not be achieved, indicating its essential role for cell viability since there might be no other type I SPase of major importance present in B. megaterium. Plasmid-assisted amplification of the gene resulted in an increase in activity of the heterologous glucanase used as an extracellular reporter, suggesting a potential bottleneck for protein secretion within this species.