Process for producing dipeptides

1. A process for producing a dipeptide represented by formula (I):

R-R2  (I)

wherein R1 is an amino acid selected from the group consisting of L-alanine, L-methionine, L-serine, β-alanine, L-threonine, glycine, L-cysteine and L-α-aminobutyric acid, and R 2 is an amino acid selected from the group consisting of L-alanine, L-glutamine, L-glutamic acid, glycine, L-valine, L-leucine, L-isoleucine, L-proline, L-phenylalanine, L-tryptophan, L-methionine, L-serine, L-threonine, L-cysteine, L-asparagine, L-tyrosine, L-lysine, L-arginine, L-histidine, L-aspartic acid, L-α-aminobutyric acid, βalanine, L-azaserine, L-theanine, L-4- hydroxyprol me, L-3-hydroxyproline, L-ornithine, L-citrulline and L-6-diazo-5-oxo-norleucine except L-alanyl-L-alanine, which comprises:

contacting, in an aqueous medium, at least two amino acids which may be the same or different, and a transformed microorganism comprising a polynucleotide encoding a protein selected from the group consisting of the following [1]to [3 ]:

[1]a protein comprising the amino acid sequence of SF0 ID NO:1;

[2]a protein comprising an amino acid sequence wherein 1 to 20 amino acid residues are deleted, substituted or added in the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1 and catalyzing the synthesis of a dipeptide represented by formula (I); and

[3]a protein comprising an amino acid sequence which shows 98% or more similarity determined by BLAST program to the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1 and catalyzes the synthesis of a dipeptide represented by formula (I);

forming and accumulating the dipeptide in the medium; and

recovering the dipeptide from the medium.

2. A process for producing a dipeptide represented by formula (I);

R 1 -R 2   (I)

wherein R 1 is an amino acid selected from the group consisting of L-alanine, L-methionine, L-serine, β-alanine, L-threonine, glycine, L-cysteine and L-α-aminobutyric acid, and R2 is an amino acid selected from the group consisting of L-alanine, L-glutamine, L-glutamic acid, glycine, L-valine, L-leucine, L-isoleucine, L-proline, L-phenylalanine, L-tryptophan, L-methionine, L-serine, L-threonine, L-cysteine, L-asparagine, L-tyrosine, L-lysine, L-arginine, L-histidine, L-aspartic acid, L-α-aminobutyric acid, β-alanine, L-azaserine, L-theanine, L-4-hydroxyproline, L-3-hydroxyproline, L-ornithine, L-citrulline and L-6-diazo-5 -oxo-norleucine except L-alanyl-L-alanine, which comprises:

contacting an enzyme source and at least two amino acids which may be the same or different in an aqueous medium, said enzyme source being a culture of a microorganism transformed with a nucleic acid sequence selected from the group consisting of (a) to (e), or a treated matter of the culture:

(a) a nucleic acid sequence encoding the protein comprising the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:1;

(b) a nucleic acid comprising the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO:9;

(c) a nucleic acid sequence encoding a protein comprising an amino acid sequence wherein 1 to 20 amino acid residues are deleted, substituted or added in the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1 and catalyzing the synthesis of the dipeptide represented by formula (I); and

(d) a nucleic acid sequence which hybridizes with a nucleic acid sequence comprising the complement of a nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NOS: 9 in the presence of 0.7 to 1.0 mol/l sodium chloride at 65° C., followed by washing in 0.1 to 2-fold concentrated SSC solution at 65° C. and which nucleic acid sequence encodes a protein which catalyzes the synthesis of a dipeptide represented by formula (I); and

(e) a protein comprising an amino acid sequence which shows 98% or more similarity to the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1 and catalyzes the synthesis of the dipeptide represented by formula (I);

forming and accumulating the dipeptide in the medium; and

recovering the dipeptide from the medium

wherein the treated matter of the culture is selected from the group consisting of a concentrated culture, a dried culture, cells obtained by centrifuging the culture and a product obtained by subjecting the cells to drying, freeze-drying, treatment with a surfactant and treatment with a solvent, and the treated matter of the culture has same enzymatic activity as the culture.

3. The process according to claim 2 , wherein the microorganism is transformed with DNA derived from the genus Bacillus.

4. The process according to claim 3 , wherein the microorganism belonging to the genus Bacillus has the ability to produce bacilysin.

5. The process according to claim 4 , wherein the microorganism of the genus Bacillus is selected from the group consisting of Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus amyloliquefaciens, Bacillus coagulans, Bacillus licheniformis, Bacillus megaterium and Bacillus pumilus.

6. The process according to claim 2 , wherein the microorganism is transformed with a recombinant nucleic acid sequence comprising the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 9.

7. The process according to claim 6 , wherein the microorganism transformed with a nucleic acid sequence comprising the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 9 belongs to the genus Escherichia .