Kikkoman Corporation

Keisuke Furukawa

Naoki Kajiyama

Masaru Suzuki

Yasuji Koyama

Toshio Ichikawa

Eriko Yoshihara

Kazuhiko Shimoji

Kyoko Hashimoto

To reduce the effect of L-proline in the reaction of a sarcosine oxidase. A modified sarcosine oxidase having reduced reactivity to L-proline is provided.

Modified sarcosine oxidase, and gene and production method therefor

An isolated DNA molecule encoding modified sarcosine oxidases having optimal pH, high activity in the slightly acidic range and improved stability and a method for preparing the modified sarcosine oxidases is disclosed.

Modified sarcosine oxidases, genes and recombinant DNAs thereof, and methods for preparing the same

(1) A modified sarcosine oxidase with improved stability in the acidic range compared to a wild-type sarcosine oxidase. (2) A sarcosine oxidase gene encoding a modified sarcosine oxidase of the following (a), (b), or (c): According to the present invention, sarcosine oxidases, in particular sarcosine oxidases which show optimal pH and high activity in the slightly acidic range and have improved stability can be prepared efficiently, thus making the invention industrially useful.

A modified sarcosine oxidase having a lowered activity for N-ethylglycine. Such a modified oxidase may have the following physicochemical properties:

Modified sarcosine oxidases, modified sarcosine oxidase genes, and methods for preparing the modified sarcosine oxidases

The present invention relates to a thermostable creatine amidinohydrolase having the following physicochemical properties: (a) hydrolyzing 1 mol of creatine to give 1 mol of sarcosine and 1 mol of urea; (b) having a substrate specificity to creatine; (c) having an optimum pH of 7.0 to 8.0; (d) having a stable pH range of 4.0 to 11.0; (e) having the optimum temperature of around 45&deg; C.; (f) being thermostable at 53&deg; C.; (g) having a molecular weight of 92,000 Da (as determined by gel filtration), and to a process for producing the thermostable creatine aimdinohydrolase.

Thermostable creatine amidinohydrolase and process for producing the same

The present invention relates to a creatine amidinohydrolase having the following physicochemical properties: (a) hydrolyzing 1 mole of creatine to generate 1 mole of sarcosine and 1 mole of urea, (b) having a substrate specificity to creatine, (c) having an optimum pH ranging from 6.0 to 7.0, particularly a pH of about 6.5, (d) having a stable pH ranging from 4.0 to 11.0, (e) having an optimum temperature ranging from 50 to 55&deg; C., and (f) having a molecular weight of approximately 92,000 daltons (as measured by gel filtration); and to a method for producing a creatine amidinohydrolase, which comprises, culturing a microorganism having an ability to produce the creatine amidinohydrolase, and recovering the creatine amidinohydrolase from the obtained culture. The creatine amidinohydrolase of the invention is characterized by being insusceptible to bilirubin when measuring creatinine, since its optimum pH is in the weakly acidic range.

Creatine amidinohydrolase and process for producing the same

The present invention relates to a creatine amidinohydrolase gene coding for the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO. 2, a recombinant DNA comprising the creatine amidinohydrolase gene inserted into a vector DNA, and a process for producing creatine amidinohydrolase by culturing a microorganism belonging to the genus Escherichia carrying said recombinant DNA and having the ability to produce creatine amidinohydrolase in medium and then recovering creatine amidinohydrolase from the culture. According to the present invention, creatine amidinohydrolase can be efficiently produced without adding creatine to medium.

Creatine amidinohydrolase gene, a novel recombinant DNA, and a process

A creatine amidinohydrolase with the following physicochemical properties is prepared:

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Chiba, Japan

Keisuke Furukawa