To characterize the xylanase from Bacillus sp. YJ6, broth after 4 days incubation at 25 degrees C was collected and purified to electrophoretical homogeneity after Sephacryl S-100 HR chromatograph. About 3.5% recovery and 678.1 purification fold were achieved. The purified xylanase, with a Mw of 19 kDa, had an optimal pH and temperature at 5.0 and 50 degrees C, respectively, and was stable at pH 5.0-9.0 or <50 degrees C. It was inhibited by Cu2+, Fe3+, Hg2+, phenylmethyl sulfonyl fluoride (PMSF), N-tosyl-L-phenylalanine chloromethyl ketone (TPCK), N-ethylmaleimide (NEM), and leupeptin but activated by K+, Na+, Co2+, Mg2+, beta-mercaptoethanol (beta-ME), and glutathione (GSH). The purified xylanase had high specificity to beechwood, birchwood, and oat spelt xylans. The DNA fragment encoding this xylanase, corresponding to 213 amino acids, exhibited about 95% homology with seven strains of Bacillus in the NCBI database.