IP Library Granted Patent US 7,741,081
Granted Patent B2
US 7,741,081 · App. 11/575,805 · Granted Jun 22, 2010

Process for producing L-arginine, L-ornithine or L-citrulline

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 7,741,081
App. No.
11/575,805
Granted
Jun 22, 2010
Kind
B2
Abstract

The present invention provides a polypeptide which has: (i) an amino acid sequence wherein one or more amino acid residues are substituted in the region at positions 20 to 38 from the N terminus of the amino acid sequence shown in SEQ ID NO: 1; or (ii) an amino acid sequence wherein one or more amino acid residues are substituted in the region at positions 20 to 38 from the N terminus of the amino acid sequence shown in SEQ ID NO: 1 and one or more amino acid residues are deleted, substituted or added in the region at positions 1 to 19 or 39 to 294 ; and which has N-acetylglutamate kinase activity.

Claims (27)

1. A process for producing L-arginine, L-ornithine or L-citrulline, comprising the steps of:

culturing in a medium an isolated microorganism carrying a DNA comprising a nucleotide sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOS: 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12;

allowing L-arginine, L-ornithine or L-citrulline to form and accumulate in the medium; and

recovering L-arginine, L-ornithine or L-citrulline from the medium.

2. A process for producing L-arginine, L-ornithine or L-citrulline, comprising the steps of:

culturing in a medium an isolated microorganism carrying a DNA which hybridizes with DNA consisting of a nucleotide sequence complementary to the nucleotide sequence of DNA encoding SEQ ID NO: 1 at 65° C. in 0.7-1.0 mol/l sodium chloride followed by washing at 65° C. with 0.1-2 ×SSC solution, said DNA being selected from the group consisting of the following (i) to (iii):

(i) DNA encoding a polypeptide wherein the amino acid residue corresponding to the residue at position 26 from the N terminus of the amino acid sequence shown in SEQ ID NO: 1 is an amino acid residue other than L-alanine;

(ii) DNA encoding a polypeptide wherein the amino acid residue corresponding to the residue at position 31 from the N terminus of the amino acid sequence shown in SEQ ID NO: 1 is an amino acid residue other than L-methionine; and

(iii) DNA encoding a polypeptide wherein the amino acid residue corresponding to the residue at position 26 from the N terminus of the amino acid sequence shown in SEQ ID NO: 1 is an amino acid residue other than L-alanine and the amino acid residue corresponding to the residue at position 31 is an amino acid residue other than L-methionine, and

which encodes a polypeptide having N-acetylglutamate kinase activity;

allowing L-arginine, L-ornithine or L-citrulline to form and accumulate in the medium; and

recovering L-arginine, L-ornithine or L-citrulline from the medium.

3. The process according to claim 2 , wherein the amino acid residue corresponding to the residue at position 26 from the N terminus of the amino acid sequence shown in SEQ ID NO: 1 is L-valine, L-leucine or L-isoleucine and the amino acid residue corresponding to the residue at position 31 is L-valine.

4. A process for producing L-arginine, L-ornithine or L-citrulline, comprising the steps of:

culturing in a medium an isolated microorganism carrying a DNA which hybridizes with DNA consisting of a nucleotide sequence complementary to the nucleotide sequence of DNA encoding SEQ ID NO: 1 at 65° C. in 0.7-1.0 mol/l sodium chloride followed by washing at 65° C with 0.1-2 ×SSC solution, selected from the group consisting of the following (i) to (iii):

(i) DNA having a nucleotide sequence wherein the region corresponding to the region at positions 76 to 78 from the 5′ end of the nucleotide sequence shown in SEQ ID NO: 2 is guanine-thymidine-thymidine, cytosine-thymidine-guanine or adenine-thymidine-cytosine;

(ii) DNA having a nucleotide sequence wherein the region corresponding to the region at positions 91 to 93 from the 5′ end of the nucleotide sequence shown in SEQ ID NO: 2 is guanine-thymidine-guanine; and

(iii) DNA having a nucleotide sequence wherein the region corresponding to the region at positions 76 to 78 from the 5′ end of the nucleotide sequence shown in SEQ ID NO: 2 is guanine-thymidine-thymidine, cytosine-thymidine-guanine or adenine-thymidine-cytosine, and the region corresponding to the region at positions 91 to 93 is guanine-thymidine-guanine; and

which encodes a polypeptide having N-acetylglutamate kinase activity;

allowing L-arginine, L-ornithine or L-citrulline to form and accumulate in the medium; and

recovering L-arginine, L-ornithine or L-citrulline from the medium.

5. A process according to any one of claims 1 - 4 , wherein said DNA is a recombinant DNA obtained by incorporating said DNA into a vector.

6. The process according to claim 5 , wherein the transcriptional repression activity of the arginine repressor on the arginine operon is reduced or lost.

7. The process according to claim 6 , wherein ornithine carbamoyl transferase activity is reduced or lost.

8. The process according to claim 7 , wherein argininosuccinate synthase activity is reduced or lost.

9. The process according to claim 8 , wherein the microorganism belonging belongs to the genus Corynebacterium.

10. The process according to claim 9 , wherein the microorganism is Corynebacterium glutamicum.

Assignments (4)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 16, 2026
From: PLUMINO PRECISION FERMENTATION JAPAN CO., LTD.
To: PLUMINO PRECISION FERMENTATION HOLDINGS PTE. LTD.
Reel/Frame 075285/0011 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 4, 2025
From: KYOWA HAKKO BIO CO., LTD.
To: PLUMINO PRECISION FERMENTATION JAPAN CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 072154/0568 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Apr 22, 2009
From: KYOWA HAKKO KOGYO CO., LTD.
To: KYOWA HAKKO BIO CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 022578/0259 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Mar 22, 2007
From: IKEDA, MASATO; NAKANO, TETSUO; MITSUHASHI, SATOSHI; HAYASHI, MIKIRO; TANAKA, KENJI
To: KYOWA HAKKO KOGYO CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 019052/0071 →