Process for preparing L-amino acids using improved strains of the Enterobacteriaceae family

1. A recombinant or transformed microorganism comprising an enhanced or overexpressed ytfQ ORF nucleic acid encoding a ytfQ polypeptide having the amino acid sequence of either SEQ ID NO:2 or SEQ ID NO:4, wherein said ytfQ polypeptide is a binding protein of an ATP-dependent sugar transporter.

2. The recombinant or transformed microorganism of claim 1 , wherein said ytfQ polypeptide consists of the amino acid sequence of either SEQ ID NO:2 or SEQ ID NO:4.

3. The recombinant or transformed microorganism of claim 1 , wherein said nucleic acid comprises the nucleotide sequence of either SEQ ID NO:1 or SEQ ID NO:3.

4. The recombinant or transformed microorganism of claim 1 , wherein said nucleic acid consists of the nucleotide sequence of either SEQ ID NO:1 or SEQ ID NO :3.

5. The recombinant or transformed microorganism of claim 1 , wherein said nucleic acid is a polynucleotide sequence which hybridizes, under stringent conditions, to the sequence which is complementary to the sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1 or SEQ ID NO: 3, said stringent conditions comprising a washing step performed at a temperature of from 64° to 68° and at a salt concentration of the buffer of from 2×SSC to 0.1×SSC.

6. The recombinant or transformed microorganism of claim 1 , wherein said recombinant or transformed microorganism belongs to a genus selected from the group consisting of: Escherichia, Erwinia, Providencia and Serratia.

7. The recombinant or transformed microorganism of claim 1 , wherein said recombinant or transformed microorganism produces L-threonine.

8. The recombinant or transformed microorganism of claim 1 produced by transforming a microorganism with a vector comprising a nucleotide sequence encoding the ytfQ polypeptide of either SEQ ID NO:2 or SEQ ID NO:4, wherein said sequence is under the control of a promoter.

9. The recombinant or transformed microorganism of claim 8 , wherein said nucleotide sequence is a polynucleotide sequence which hybridizes, under stringent conditions, to a sequence which is complementary to the sequence of SEQ ID NO:1 or SEQ ID NO:3, said stringent conditions comprising a washing step performed at a temperature of from 64° C to 68° C and at a salt concentration of the buffer of from 2×SSC to 0.1×SSC.

10. The recombinant or transformed microorganism of claim 8 , wherein said recombinant or transformed microorganism belongs to a genus selected from the group consisting of: Escherichia, Erwinia, Providencia and Serratia.

11. A process for preparing a desired L-amino acid by fermentation comprising:

a) culturing the recombinant or transformed microorganism of claim 1 in a medium under conditions under which the desired L-amino acid is accumulated in the medium or in the cells.

12. The process of claim 11 , further comprising:

b) after step a), isolating a composition comprising the desired L-amino acid.

13. The process of claim 11 , wherein said recombinant or transformed microorganism comprises at least one additional gene that is enhanced relative to non-recombinant microorganisms of the same species, said additional gene being selected from the group consisting of:

a) at least one gene of the thrABC operon encoding aspartate kinase, homoserine dehydrogenase, homoserine kinase and threonine synthase,

b) the pyruvate carboxylase-encoding Corynebacterium glutamicum pyc gene,

c) the phosphoenolpyruvate synthase-encoding pps gene,

d) the phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase-encoding ppc gene,

e) the pntA and pntB genes encoding the subunits of pyridine transhydrogenase,

f) the rhtC gene encoding the threonine resistance-mediating protein,

g) the threonine export carrier protein-encoding Corynebacterium glutamicum thrE gene,

h) the glutamate dehydrogenase-encoding gdhA gene,

i) the ptsH gene encoding the phosphohistidine protein hexose phosphotransferase,

j) the ptsI gene encoding enzyme I of the phosphotransferase system,

k) the crr gene encoding the glucose-specific IIA component,

l) the ptsG gene encoding the glucose-specific IIBC component,

m) the cysteine synthase A-encoding cysK gene,

n) the cysB gene encoding the regulator of the cys regulon,

o) the cysJ gene encoding the NADPH sulfite reductase flavoprotein,

p) the cysI gene encoding the NADPH sulfite reductase hemoprotein,

q) the adenylyl sulfate reductase-encoding cysH gene,

r) the sucA gene encoding the decarboxylase subunit of 2-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase,

s) the sucB gene encoding the dihydrolipoyltrans-succinase E2 subunit of 2-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase,

t) the sucC gene encoding the β-subunit of succinyl-CoA synthetase,

u) the sucD gene encoding the α-subunit of succinyl-CoA synthetase,

v) the gene product of the Escherichia coli yibD open reading frame (ORF),

w) the gene product of the Escherichia coli yjcG open reading frame (ORF),

x) the gene product of the Escherichia coli ytfR open reading frame (ORF),

y) the gene product of the Escherichia coli ytfT open reading frame (ORF),

z) the gene product of the Escherichia coli yjfF open reading frame (ORF).

14. The process of claim 11 , wherein relative to non-recombinant microorganisms of the same species, said recombinant or transformed microorganism comprises at least a partially attenuated metabolic pathway reducing the formation of the desired L-amino acid.

15. The process of claim 11 , wherein said recombinant or transformed microorganism comprises at least one gene that is attenuated relative to non-recombinant microorganisms of the same species, said gene being selected from the group consisting of:

a) the threonine dehydrogenase-encoding tdh gene,

b) the malate dehydrogenase-encoding mdh gene,

c) the gene product of the Escherichia coli yjfA open reading frame (orf),

d) the gene product of the Escherichia coli ytfP open reading frame (orf),

e) the pckA gene encoding the phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase,

f) the pyruvate oxidase-encoding poxB gene,

g) the dgsA gene encoding the DgsA regulator of the phosphotransferase system,

h) the rpoS gene encoding the sigma 38 factor, and,

i) the aspartate ammonium lyase-encoding aspA gene.

16. The process of claim 11 , wherein said desired L-amino acid selected from the group consisting of: L-asparagine, L-serine, L-glutamate, L-glycine, L-alanine, L-cysteine, L-valine, L-methionine, L-proline, L-isoleucine, L-leucine, L-tyrosine, L-phenylalanine, L-histidine, L-lysine, L-tryptophan, L-arginine and L-homoserine.

17. The process of claim 11 , wherein said desired L-amino acid is selected from the group consisting of: L-isoleucine, L-valine, L-methionine, L-homoserine, L-tryptophan and L-lysine are prepared.

18. A recombinant or transformed microorganism of claim 1 , comprising a ytfQ polypeptide having the amino acid sequence of either SEQ ID NO:2 or SEQ ID NO:4, wherein the concentration or activity of said ytfQ polypeptide is increased by at least 10% relative to non-recombinant microorganisms of the same species.

19. The recombinant or transformed microorganism of claim 18 , wherein said recombinant or transformed microorganism produces L-threonine.