Process for producing dipeptides

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

R 1 —R 2   (I)

wherein R 1 is L-alanine, glycine, L-methionine, L-serine, L-threonine, β-alanine, L-cysteine or L-α-aminobutyric acid, and R 2 is L-alanine, L-glutamine, L-glutamic acid, glycine, L-leucine, L-isoleucine, L-proline, L-tryptophan, L-methionine, L-serine, L-theanine, L-cysteine, L-asparagine, L-lysine, L-arginine, L-histidine, L-aspartic acid, L-α-aminobutyric acid, , β-alanine, L-azaserine, L-threonine, L-4-hydroxyproline, L-3-hydroxyproline, L-ornithine, L-citrulline or L-6-diazo-5-oxo-norleucine, provided that both R 1 and R 2 be L-alanine at the same time, said method comprising:

culturing in a medium a microorganism which produces a protein having the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1, or a protein consisting of an amino acid sequence which has 95% or more homology to the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1 and having the activity of forming a dipeptide from one or more amino acids, and which has the ability to produce at least one of said one or more of said amino acids;

allowing the dipeptide to form and accumulate in the medium; and

recovering the dipeptide from the medium.

2. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the protein is encoded by DNA selected from the group consisting of the following [1] to [3]:

[1] A DNA having the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO:9;

[2] A DNA encoding a protein having the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1 or a protein consisting of an amino acid sequence which has 95% or more homology to the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1 and having the activity of forming the dipeptide from one or more of said amino acids; and

[3] A DNA which hybridizes with DNA having a nucleotide sequence completely complementary to the nucleotide sequence shown in SEQ ID NO:9 at 65° C. in the presence of 0.7 to 1.0 mol/1 sodium chloride followed by washing at 65° C. with a 0.1 to 2-fold concentrated SSC solution, and which encodes a protein having the activity to form the dipeptide from one or more of said amino acids.

3. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the microorganism is a microorganism transformed with a recombinant DNA comprising the DNA selected from the group consisting of [1] to [3]:

[1] A DNA having the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO:9;

[2] A DNA encoding a protein having the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1 or a protein consisting of an amino acid sequence which has 95% or more homology to the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1 and having the activity of forming the dipeptide from one or more of said amino acids; and

[3] A DNA which hybridizes with DNA having a nucleotide sequence completely complementary to the nucleotide sequence shown in SEQ ID NO:9 at 65° C. in the presence of 0.7 to 1.0 mol/1 sodium chloride followed by washing at 65° C. with a 0.1 to 2-fold concentrated SSG solution, and which encodes a protein having the activity to form the dipeptide from one or more of said amino acids.

4. The process according to claim 3 , wherein the microorganism belongs to the genus Escherichia, Corynebacterium, Bacillus, Serratia, Pseudomonas or Stre ptomyces.

5. The process according to claim 4 , wherein the microorganism is Escherichia coli, Corynebacterium glutamicum, Corynebacterium ammoniagenes, Corynebacterium lactofermentum, Corynebacterium flavum, Corynebacterium efficiens, Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus megaterium, Serratia marcescens, Pseudomonas putida, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Streptomyces coelicolor or Streptomyces lividans.

6. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the microorganism belongs to the genus Bacillus.

7. The process according to claim 6 , wherein the microorganism is Bacillus subtilis.