Granted Patent B2

US 7,504,246 · App. 11/599,099 · Granted Mar 17, 2009

Assignee: The Board of Regents of the University of Oklahoma

Abstract

Claims (9)

1. An isolated and purified nucleic acid segment encoding an enzymatically active hyaluronan synthase, wherein the enzymatically active hyaluronan synthase is a single protein that is a dual-action catalyst that utilizes UDP-GlcA (uridine diphosphate glucuronic acid) and UDP-GlcNAc (uridine diphosphate N-acetylglucosamine) to synthesize HA (hyaluronic acid), and wherein the isolated and purified nucleic acid segment is at least 90% identical to the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO:1.

2. A recombinant expression vector comprising the nucleic acid segment of claim 1 .

3. A recombinant host cell comprising the recombinant expression vector of claim 2 .

4. The recombinant host cell of claim 3 , wherein the recombinant host cell is a Bacillus host cell.

5. A recombinant method for producing hyaluronic acid, comprising the step of:

culturing the recombinant host cell of claim 3 under conditions appropriate for the expression of hyaluronan synthase from the at least one expression construct, whereby hyaluronic acid is produced.

6. The method of claim 5 , further comprising the step of separating the hyaluronic acid from the host cell.

7. The method of claim 5 , wherein the recombinant host cell further comprises at least one gene encoding an enzyme for synthesis of a hyaluronic acid sugar precursor, wherein the at least one gene encoding an enzyme for synthesis of a hyaluronic acid sugar precursor is selected from the group consisting of a pyrophosphorylase, a transferase, a mutase, a dehydrogenase, and an epimerase, capable of producing UDP-GlcNAc or UDP-GlcA.

8. The method of claim 5 , wherein the recombinant host cell is a Bacillus host cell.

Assignments (1)

Continuity (9)