The invention relates to a new cephalosporin C acylase (hereinafter referred to as "CC acylase"). More particularly, it relates to a new mutant CC acylase ^{^} produced by protein engineering, a DNA coding therefor, an expression vector containi.ig the said DNA, a microorganism transformed with the said expression vector, and the production of the CC acylase by culturing the said transformant.

The cephalosporin C acylase is a general term for an enzyme, ^!, ich is, in common, capable of hydrolyzing cephalc;. C to 7-aminocephalosporanic acid (7-ACA).

Hitherto, there have been found three enzymes which should be classified as CC acylase, namely Cephalosporin C acylases SE83, N176 and V22, amino acid sequences of which are disclosed in Journal of Fermentation and Bioengineering Vol. 72, 232-243 (1991). In this literature, numbering of the amino acid sequence of CC acylase is begun at the methionine group of the N-terminal portion thereof. However, numbering of the amino acid sequence of CC acylase is begun at the threonine group adjacent to the methionine group of the N-terminal portion thereof in this Specification, because the N-terminal methionine of ff-subunit of mature CC acylase obtained by expressing CC acylase gene in prokaryote is removed by an enzyme (e.g. aminopeptidase) to give a mature CC acylase having the threonine group as the N-terminal amino acid thereof. Production of

native type CC acylase by recombinant DNA technology is also disclosed in the said literature and it has been found that the expressed CC acylase is intracel lularly processed to give an active form composed of α-subunit and β-subunit. However, efficiency of the processing is generally low in E. coli. From the results of extensive studies, the inventors of this invention have succeeded in producing mutant CC acylases which have more desirable properties which are characterized by higher enzymatic potency, alteration of pH profile, higher efficiency of processing and the like.

The new mutant CC acylase of this invention can be characterized by the following.

A mutant CC acylase wherein at least one amino acid at the Ala ⁴⁹ , Met ¹⁶⁴ , Ser ¹⁶⁶ , Met ¹⁷⁴ , Glu ³⁵⁸ , Met ⁴⁶⁵ , Met ⁵⁰⁶ or Met ⁷⁵⁰ position of the amino acid sequence of the native CC acylase is replaced by a different amino acid.

Preferred examples of the different amino acid to replace Met ¹⁶⁴ may include neutral amino acids such as glycine, alanine, leucine and the like.

Preferred examples of the different amino acid to replace Ser ¹⁶⁶ , Met ¹⁷⁴ , Met ⁴⁶⁵ , Met ⁵⁰⁶ and/or Met ⁷⁵⁰ may include neutral amino acids such as alanine and the like.

Preferred examples of the different amino acid to replace Glu ³⁵⁸ may include neutral amino acids (e.g. isoleucine, etc.), basic amino acids (e.g. lysine, etc.) and the like.

Most preferable example of the different amino acid to

replace Ala ⁴⁹ is leucine.

The mutant CC acylase of this invention may also be a mutant CC acylase prepared by replacing at least one amino acid at another position of the amino acid sequence of native CC acylase with a different amino acid, for example, by replacing Met ²⁶⁹ and/or Cys ³⁰⁵ of the mutant CC acylase with (a) different amino acid(s).

A preferred example of the mutant CC acylase can be represented by the following formula in its precursor form before processing into α-subunit and β-subunit thereof:

Al-48-Xl-A50-163-X2-Gly-X3-A167-173-X4-A175-357-X5-A359-4 64-X6- A466-505-X7-A507-749-X8-A751-773

wherein Al-48 is the same amino acid sequence as that from Thr ¹ to Glu ⁴⁸ of native CC acylase, A50-163 is the same amino acid sequence as that from Asp ⁵⁰ to Leu ¹⁶³ of native CC acylase, A167-173 is the same amino acid sequence as that from Val ¹⁶⁷ to Arg ¹⁷³ of native CC acylase, A175-357 is the same amino acid sequence as that from Leu ¹⁷⁵ to Val ³⁵⁷ of native CC acylase, A359-464 is the same amino acid sequence as that from Thr ³⁵⁹ to Ala ⁴⁶⁴ of native CC acylase, A466-505 is the same amino acid sequence as that from Pro ⁴⁶⁶ to lie ⁵⁰⁵ of native CC acylase,

A507-749 is the same amino acid sequence as that from Lys ⁵⁰⁷ to Ala ⁷⁴⁹ of native CC acylase,

A751-773 is the same amino acid sequence as that from Val ⁷⁵¹ to Ala ⁷⁷³ of native CC acylase,

XI is Ala or a different amino acid,

X2, X4, X6, X7 and X8 are each Met or a different amino acid,

X3 is Ser or a different amino acid and

X5 is Glu or a different amino acid, providing that Met ²⁶⁹ and/or Cys ³⁰⁵ may be replaced by (a) different amino acid(s), and when XI is Ala, X2, X4, X6, X7 and X8 are each Met, X3 is Ser and X5 is an amino acid other than Glu.

In this specification, a nomenclature for naming a specific mutant CC acylase is conveniently employed. According to this nomenclature, for example, a mutant CC acylase which is prepared by replacing the methionine residue at position 164 of the amino acid sequence of native CC acylase with leucine should be designated as a mutant CC acylase M164L, in which M is a one- letter abbreviation of the methionine (an amino acid) residue to be replaced, 164 is a position number of the amino acid sequence of native CC acylase and L is a one-letter abbreviation of leucine (the different a ino acid) used for replacing the methionine (the former amino acid) residue. On the other hand, for example, mutant CC acylases M164L and M164A are prepared by replacing the methionine residue at position 164 of the amino

acid sequence of native CC acylase with leucine and alanine, respectively. A mutant CC acylase M164L/M174A/M269Y is prepared by replacing the methionine residue at position 164 of the amino acid sequence of native CC acylase with leucine, the methionine residue at position 174 of the amino acid sequence of native CC acylase with alanine and the meth_onine residue at position 269 of the amino acid sequence of native CC acylase with tyrosine.

The mutant CC acylase of this invention can be prepared by recombinant DNA technology, polypeptide synthesis and the like.

Namely, the new CC acylase can be prepared by culturing a host cell transformed with an expression vector comprising DNA encoding amino acid sequence of the new CC acylase in a nutrient medium and recovering the new CC acylase from the cultured broth.

Particulars of this process are explained in more detail as fol lows.

The host cell may include microorganisms [bacteria (e.g. Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis, etc. ), yeast (e.g. Saccharomyces cerevlsiae, etc. ), animal cell lines and cultured plant cells]. Preferred examples of the microorganism may include bacteria, especially a strain belonging to the genus Escherichia (e.g. E. coli JM109 ATCC 53323, E. coli HB101 ATCC 33694, E. COli HB101-16 FERM BP-1872, E. coli 294 ATCC 31446, etc. ), yeast, especially a strain belonging to the genus Saccharomyces [e.g. Saccharomyces cerevisiae AH22], animal cell

lines [e.g. mouse L929 cell, Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell, etc. ] and the 1 ike.

When a becterium, especially E. coli is used as a host cell, the expression vector is usually composed of at least promoter-operator region, initiation codon, DNA encoding amino acid sequence of the new CC acylase, termination codon, terminator region and replicatable unit. When yeasts or animal cells are used as host cells, the expression vector is preferably composed of at least promoter, initiation codon, DNA encoding amino acid sequences of the signal peptide and the new CC acylase, and termination codon. It is possible that enhancer sequence, 5'- and 3'-noncoding region of the new CC acylase, splicing junctions, polyadenylation site and replicatable unit are also inserted into the expression vector.

The promoter-operator region comprises promoter, operator and Shine-Dalgarno (SD) sequence (e.g. AAGG, etc. ). Preferable promoter-operator region may include conventionally employed promoter-operator region (e.g. PL-promoter and trp-promoter for E. coli) and promoter of the CC acylase N-176 chromosomal gene. The promoter for expression of the new CC acylase in yeast may include the promoter of the TRP1 gene, the ADHI or ADHII gene and acid phosphatase (ρH05) gene for S. cerevisiae and the promoter for the expression of the new CC acylase in mammalian cells may include SV40 early or late-promoter, HTLV-LTR- promoter, mouse metallothionein I(MMT)-promoter, vaccinia- promoter and the like.

Preferable initiation codon may include methionine codon (ATG).

The signal peptide may include a signal peptide of conventionally employed other enzymes (signal peptide of the native t-PA, signal peptide of the native plasminogen) and the like.

The DNA encoding amino acid sequence of the new CC acylase can be prepared in a conventional manner such as a partial or whole DNA synthesis using DNA synthesizer and/or treatment of the complete DNA sequence coding for the native CC acylase inserted in a suitable vector (e.g. pCCN 176-2) obtainable from a transformant [e.g. E. coli JM109 (pCCN 176-2) FERM BP-3047] in a suitable manner such as a conventional mutation method [e.g. cassette mutation method (cf. Tokunaga, T. et al., Eur. J. Bioche . 153, 445-449 (1985)), PCR mutation method (cf. Higuchi, R. et al., Nucleic Acids Res. 16, 7351-7367 (1988)), Kunkel's method (cf. Kunkel, T. A. et al., Methods Enzymol. 154, 367 (1987)) and the like] in addition to treatment with a suitable enzyme (e.g. restriction enzyme, alkaline phosphatase, polynucleotide kinase, DNA ligase, DNA polymerase, etc.).

The termination codon(s) may include a conventionally employed termination codon (e.g. TAG, TGA, etc.).

The terminator region may include natural or synthetic terminator (e.g. synthetic fd phage terminator, etc. ).

The replicatable unit is a DNA compound capable of replicating the whole DNA sequence belonging thereto in a host

cell, and may include natural plasmid, artificially modified plasmid (e.g. DNA fragment prepared from natural plasmid) and synthetic plasmid. Preferable examples of the plasmid may include plasmid pBR322 and the artificially modified thereof (DNA fragment obtained from a suitable restriction enzyme treatment of pBR322) for E. coli, yeast 2 μ plasmid and yeast chromosomal DNA for yeast, plasmid pRSVneo ATCC 37198, plasmid pSV2dhfr ATCC 37145, plasmid pdBPV-MMTneo ATCC 37224, and plasmid pSV2neo ATCC 37149 for mammalian cells.

The enhancer sequence may include the enhancer sequence (72 b.p. ) of SV40.

The polyadenylation site may include the polyadenylation site of SV40.

The splicing junction may include the splicing junction of SV40.

The promoter, initiation codon, DNA encoding amino acid sequence of the new CC acylase, termination codon(s) and terminator region can consecutively and circularly be linked together with an adequate replicatable unit (plasmid), if desired, using (an) adequate DNA fragment(s) (e.g. linker, other restriction site, etc.) in a conventional manner (e.g. digestion with restriction enzyme, ligation using T4 DNA ligase) to give an expression vector.

A host cell can be transformed (transfected) with the expression vector. Transformation (transfection) can be carried out in a conventional manner [e.g. Kushner method for E.

coli, calcium phosphate method for mammalian cells, icroinjection, etc. ] to give a transformant ( transfectant) .

For the production of the new CC acylase by the process of this invention, the thus obtained transformant comprising the expression vector is cultured in an aqueous nutrient medium.

The nutrient medium may contain carbon source(s) (e.g. glucose, glycerine, mannitol, fructose, lactose, etc. ) and inorganic or organic nitrogen source(s) (e.g. ammonium sulfate, ammonium chloride, hydrolysate of casein, yeast extract, polypeptone, bactotrypton, beef extract, etc. ). If desired, other nutritious sources [e.g. inorganic salts (e.g. sodium or potassium biphosphate, dipotassium hydrogen phosphate, magnesium chloride, magnesium sulfate, calcium chloride), vitamins (e.g. vitamin Bl), antibiotics (e.g. ampicillin, kanamycin), etc. ] may be added to the medium. For the culture of mammalian cells, Dulbecco's Modified Eagle's Minimum Essential Medium (DMEM) supplemented with fetal calf serum and an antibiotic is often used.

The culture of the transformant (including transfectant) is usually carried out at pH 5.5 - 8.5 (preferably pH 7 - 7.5) and 18 - 40°C (preferably 20 - 30°C ) for 5 - 50 hours.

When the thus produced new CC acylase exists in the culture solution, culture filtrate (supernatant) is obtained by filtration or centrifugation of the cultured broth. From the culture filtrate, the new CC acylase can be purified in a conventional manner generally employed for the purification and

isolation of natural or synthetic proteins (e.g. dialysis, gel filtration, affinity column chromatography using anti-CC acylase monoclonal antibody, column chromatography on a suitable adsorbent, high performance liquid chromatography, etc. ). When the produced new CC acylase exists in periplasm and cytoplasm of the cultured transformant, the cells are collected by filtration and centrifugation, and the cell wall and/or cell membrane thereof are(is) destroyed by, for example, treatment with super sonic waves and/or lysozyme to give debris and/or lysate. The debris and/or lysate can be dissolved in a suitable aqueous solution (e.g. 8M aqueous urea, 6M aqueous quanidium salts). From the solution, the new CC acylase can be purified in a conventional manner as exemplified above. This invention further provides a process for the preparation of a compound of the formula :

wherein R ¹ is acetoxy, hydroxy, or hydrogen, or its salt, which comprises contacting a compound of the formula :

wherein R ¹ is as defined above and

R ² is carboxylic acyl, or its salt, with the cultured broth of a microorganism transformed with an expression vector comprising DNA encoding the new CC acylase of this invention or its processed material.

The carboxylic acyl for R ² may include aliphatic, aromatic or heterocyclic carboxylic acyl and suitable example thereof may be Ci-Cβ alkanoyl which may have one or two suitable substi tuent(s) selected from the group of amino, hydroxy, carboxy, Ci-Cβ alkanoyla ino, benzamido, thienyl, and the like.

Suitable salt of the compounds (I) and (II) may be alkali metal salt (e.g. sodium salt, potassium salt, lithium salt).

If the CC acylase activity usually exists in transformed cells, the following preparations can be exemplified as a processed material of the cultured broth.

(1) Raw cells: separated from the cultured broth in a conventional manner such as filtration and centrifugation;

(2) dried cells: obtained by drying said raw cells in a conventional manner such as lyophi lization and vacuum drying;

(3) cell-free extract: obtained by destroying said raw or dried cells in a conventional manner (e.g. autolysis of the cells using an organic solvent, grinding the cells with alumina, sea sand, etc. or treating the cells with super sonic waves);

(4) enzyme solution: obtained by purification or partial purification of said cell-free extracts in a conventional manner

(e.g. column chromatography); and

(5) immobilized cells or enzyme: prepared by immobilizing said cells or enzyme in a conventional manner (e.g. a method using acrylamide, glass bead, ion exchange resin, etc. ).

The reaction comprising a contact of the compound (II) with the enzyme can be conducted in an aqueous medium such as water or a buffer solution, that is, it can be usually conducted by dissolving or suspending the cultured broth or its processed material in an aqueous medium such as water or a buffer solution containing the compound (II).

Preferable pH of the reaction mixture, concentration of the compound (II), reaction time and reaction temperature may vary with properties of the cultured broth or its processed material to be used. Generally, the reaction is carried out at pH 6 to 10, preferably pH 7 to 9, at 5 to 40°C , preferably 5 to 37°c for 0.5 to 50 hours.

The concentration of the compound (II) as a substrate in the reaction mixture may be preferably selected from the range of from 1 to 100 mg/ml.

The thus produced compound (I) can be purified and isolated from the reaction mixture in a conventional manner.

Specific activities of mutant acylases were determined according to the procedure mentioned below. i) GL-7ACA acylase activity: To 500 μ l of GL-7ACA solution [10 mg/ml in 0.15 M Tris«HCl (pH 7.5)] that was pre-incubated at 37°c for 10 min, 20 μl of sample acylase was added and the

mixture was incubated at 37°C for 5 min. The reaction was stopped by the addition of 550 μl of 5% acetic acid. After centrifugation (10,000 rpm for 5 min at ambient temperature) of the resulting mixture, the supernatant was used for the assay of 7ACA formation.

HPLC conditions: column: TSKgel ODS-80 TMCTR 4.4 mmx 100 mm (TOSOH); eluate: 100 M citric acid, 5.0 mM sodium n-hexane- 1-sulfonate in 14.3% (V/V) acetonitrile; flow rate: 1.0 ml/min; injection volume: 10 μl ; detector: 254 nm.

One unit was defined as the activity capable of synthesizing 1.0 μmole of 7ACA from GL-7ACA per minute at 37°C . ii) CC acylase activity: To 500 μ l of CC solution [10 mg/ml sodium salt of cephalosporin C in 0.15 M Tris-HCl (pH 8.7), pH was readjusted with IN NaOH to pH 8.7] that was pre-incubated at 37°C for 10 min, 20 μ l of a sample acylase was added and the mixture was incubated at 37°C for 10 min. The reaction was stopped by the addition of 550 μ l of 5% acetic acid. After centrifugation (10,000 rpm for 5 min at ambient temperature) of the resulting mixture, the supernatant was used for the assay of 7ACA formation.

HPLC conditions: column: TSKgel ODS-80 TMCTR 4.4 mmx 100 mm (TOSOH), eluate: 100 mM citric acid, 5.0 mM sodium n-hexane- 1-sulfonate in 14.3% (V/V) acetonitrile; flow rate: 1.0 ml/min; injection volume: 20 μl ; detector: 254 nm.

One unit was defined as the activity capable of synthesizing 1.0 ole of 7ACA from sodium salt of

Cephalosporin C per minute at 37°c.

Brief explanation of the accompanying drawings is as follows.

Figure 1 shows DNA oligomers used in the working Examples of this Specification.

Figure 2 is a schematic presentation of the construction of pCCOOlA.

Figure 3 is a schematic presentation of the construction of pCC002A.

Figure 4 is a schematic presentation of the construction of pCK002.

Figure 5 is a schematic presentation of the construction of PCC007A and pCCNt013.

Figure 6 is a schematic presentation of the construction of pCC013A.

Figure 7 is a schematic presentation of the construction of PΔN176 and pCK013.

Figure 8 is a schematic presentation of the preparation of plδplδl and mρl8ρl83.

Figure 9 is a schematic presentation of the preparation of mpl8pl81M164A, mpl8pl81M174A, pCKM174A and pCKM164A.

Figure 10 is a schematic presentation of the preparation of pCKS166A.

Figure 11 is a schematic presentation of the preparation of pCKM164L and pCKM164G.

Figure 12 is a schematic presentation of the construction

of mpl9pfu62.

Figure 13 is a schematic presentation of the preparation of RF DNAs (mpl9pfu62M465A, mpl9pfu62M506A and mpl9pfu62M750A) and expression vectors (pCKM465A, pCKM506A and pCKM750A).

Figure 14 is a schematic presentation of the preparation of p269I358K, p269I358S and p269I358L.

Figure 15 is a schematic presentation of the preparation of pCCE358R and pCCE358T.

Figure 16 is a schematic presentation of the preparation of pl64L269_ pl64L269F and pl64L269Y305S.

Figure 17 is a schematic presentation of the preparation of P164L174A and pl64A174A.

Figure 18 is a schematic presentation of the preparation of pl64A269Y, pl64L174A269Y, pl64L174A269F, pl64A174A269Y305S.

Figure 19 is a schematic presentation of the preparation of pl64L174A269Y305S750A.

Figure 20 is a schematic presentation of the preparation of pCKA49L.

Figure 21 is a schematic presentation of the preparation of p49L164L174A269Y.

Figure 22 shows the nucleotide and amino acid sequences of mutant CC acylase M164A.

Figure 23 shows the nucleotide and amino acid sequences of mutant CC acylase S166A.

Figure 24 shows the nucleotide and amino acid sequences of mutant CC acylase M269I/E358K.

Figure 25 shows the nucleotide and amino acid sequences of mutant CC acylase M164L/M174A/M269Y.

Figure 26 shows the nucleotide and amino acid sequences of mutant CC acylase A49L.

In the following Examples, some plasmids, enzymes, such as restriction enzymes, T4 DNA ligases, and other materials were obtained from commercial sources and used according to the indication by suppliers. In particular, plasmid pCCN176-2 and plasmid pTQiPAΔtrp used as starting materials in Examples have been deposited at an international depository, National

Institute of Bioscience and Human-Technology, Agency of

Industrial Science and Technology in Japan, as transformant

E. co l i JM109 (pCCN176-2) FERM BP-3047 and transformant E. co l i

HB101-16 (pTQiPAΔtrp) FERM BP-1870, respectively, and can be easily obtained based on USP 5,192,678 and European Patent

Application Pubication No. 302456. Other plasmid etc. can be easily prepared according to the description in the specification, from said pCCN176-2, pTQiPAΔtrp and those commercially available. Operations employed for the cloning of

DNA, transformation of host cells, cultivation of transformants, recovery of the new CC acylase from the cultured broth, and the like are well known in the art or can be adapted from

1 iteratures.

The following examples are given for the purposre of illustrating this invention, and the invention is not limited thereto.

Example 1 (Synthesis of oligodeoxyribonucleotide)

A DNA oligomer SO-M164A [as listed in Fig. 1(a)] was synthesized with 381A DNA synthesizer (Applied Biosystems Inc. ). The DNA was liberated from CPG polymer support (CPG: controlled pore glass) with 28% aqueous ammonia followed by heating at 60°C for 9 hours to remove all protection groups. The reaction mixture was evaporated in vacuo, and the residue was dissolved in 200 μ l of TE buffer [10 mM Tris-HCl (pH 7.4) - 1 M EDTA]. The resulting crude DNA solution was applied to reverse phase HPLC [column; C0SM0SIL C18 4.6 mmx 150 mm (Nacalai Tesque), eluate; A: 0.1 M Triethylammonium acetate buffer (pH 7.2 - 7.4), B: acetonitrile, gradient; initial A(100%), final A(60%) + B(40%), linear gradient during 25 min, flow rate; 1.2 ml/min]. The eluate containing the objective DNA oligomer was collected and evaporated in vacuo. The purified DNA was dissolved in 200 μ l of TE buffer and stored at -20°C before use.

All other DNA oligo ers listed in Fig. 1 were synthesized and purified in a manner similar to that described above. Example 2 (Preparation of expression vector for native CC acylase N176 under the control of trp promoter) (1) Construction of pCC002A, an ampicillin resistant expression vector for native CC acylase N176:

(i) Construction of pCCOOlA: Plasmid pCCN176-3 [preparation method of this plasmid from plε i pCCN176-2 (which is obtainable from a transformant Escherichia coli JM109 (pCCN176- 2) FERM BP-3047 in a conventional manner) is disclosed in page 235 Of JOURNAL OF FERMENTATION AND BIOENGINEERING Vol. 72,

1991] (1.0 μg) was digested with EcoRI and Hindlll, and the 2^9

kb fragment carrying the entire coding region of CC acylase N176 was isolated by agarose gel electrophoresis. On the other hand, pTQiPAΔ trp (1.0 μg ) , an expression vector for a mutant t-

PA [which is obtainable from a transformant, Escherichia coli

HB101-16 (pTQiPAΔtrp) FERM BP-1870 in a conventional manner and a preparation method of which is disclosed in European Patent

Application Publication No. 302456] was digested with X al and

Xhol, and a larger DNA (5113 bp) was isolated. Synthetic DNA oligomers CT-1 (5'-

CCGGGTGTGTACACCAAGGTTACCAACTACCTAGACTGGATTCGTGACAACATGCGA CCGTGA),

CT-2 (5'-

AGCTTCACGGTCGCATGTTGTCACGAATCCAGTCTAGGTAGTTGGTAACCTTGGTGT ACACAC),

TR-1 (5'-

AGCTTGTCCTCGAGATCAATTAAAGGCTCCTTTTGGAGCCTTTTTTTTTTG) and TR-2

(5'-

TCGACAAAAAAAAAAGGCTCCAAAAGGAGCCTTTAATTGATCTCGAGGACA) were phosphorylated with T4 polynucleotide kinase and ligated with T4

DNA ligase to give X al/Sall DNA fragment (114 bp). The resultant DNA fragment was ligated to the Xmal/Xhol DNA to give pTQiPAdtrp. The pTQiPAdtrp (1.0 μg) was digested with EcoRI and

Hindlll. The resulting 4.3 kb DNA carrying trp promoter, a part of t-PA coding region (Cys92 to Trpll3) and the duplicated sequence of fd phage central terminator were isolated. The 2.9 kb and 4.3 kb DNA fragments were mixed to ligate in the presence of T4 DNA ligase (300 units, Takara Shuzo) at 16°C for

5 hours in 40 μ l of a ligation buffer consisting of 50 mM Tris

•HCI, 10 M MgC , 10 mM dithiothreitol and 1 mM ATP. The

ligation mixture was used to transform E. coli JM109. The desired plasmid, designated as pCCOOlA, was obtained from one of the transformants resistant to ampicillin and characterized by restriction mapping.

(ii) Construction of pCC002A: Plasmi ^' pCCOOlA contains a portion of t-PA (Cys92 to Trρll3) gene between trp promoter and the acylase gene. In order to remove this region, pCCOOlA (1.0 μg ) was digested with Clal and Mlul and the resulting 6.1 kb DNA fragment was isolated. On the other hand, pCCN176-3 (1 μg ) was digested with Mlul and Sau3AI to isolate 189 bp DNA coding for Asp7 to Arg71 of the acylase. Synthetic DNA oligomers 002a and 002b (0.5 nmole, respectively, Table 1 below) were phosphorylated with T4 polynucleotide kinase (1.5 units, Takara Shuzo) in 10 μ l of a buffer (kination buffer; 50 mM Tris-HCl, 10 mM MgCl ₂ , 10 mM DTT, 1.0 mM ATP) at 37°C for 1 hour and the reaction mixture was heated at 55°C for 20 min to inactivate the enzyme. The resulting mixture was combined to ligate with the 189 bp Sau3AI/MluI DNA in the presence of T4 ligase at 15°C for 3 hours in 20 μl of a ligation buffer. To the resultant ligation mixture, the 6.1 kb Clal/Mlul DNA fragment was added and the mixture was incubated at 4° for 16 hours in the presence of additional T4 DNA ligase (300 units). The resultant ligation mixture was used to transform E. coli JM109. From one of the transformants, the desired plasmid pCC002A that is an expression vector for CC acylase N176 was isolated and characterized by restriction mapping.

Table 1: Synthetic DNA oligomers for casette mutation of N-terminal of CC acylase N176

restriction sequence of synthetic DNA oligomers sites of each end upper strand: 5' → 3' name/length lower strand: 3' → 5'

EcoRI/MluI AATTCGGATCCAAGCTTA 007a/18

GCCTAGGTTCGAATGCGC 007b/18 fMetThrMetAlaAlaAsnThr

ClaI/Sau3AI CGATAAAATGACTATGGCGGCCAACACC 002a/28 TATTTTACTGATACCGCCGGTTGTGGCTAG 002b/30 fMetThrMetAlaAlaAsnThr

Clal/BamHI CGATAAAATGACTATGGCAGCTAATACG 013a/28 TATTTTACTGATACCGTCGATTATGCCTAG 013b/3 ^' 0

(2) Construction of pCK002, a kanamycin resistant expression vector for CC acylase N176:

Plasmid pCC002A was digested with Dral (T0Y0B0). The resultant mixture was treated with phenol to remove the enzyme and precipitated by EtOH. The recovered DNA was suspended in 20 μl of a ligation buffer and mixed with phosphorylated EcoRI linker (2 μg, Pharmacia), followed by incubation with T4 DNA ligase (300 units) at 4°C for 16 hours. The reaction mixture was extracted with phenol and precipitated by EtOH. The recovered DNA was digested with EcoRI and the resultant 5.6 kb DNA lacking ampicillin resistant gene was isolated by agarose gel electrophoresis. On the other hand, plasmid pA097 [which is obtainable from a transformant Escherichia coli JM109 (pA097) FERM BP-3772] (1 μg ) was digested with EcoRI, and the

resulting 1.2 kb DNA of kanamycin resistance gene was isolated.

The 1.2 kb EcoRI DNA was ligated to the 5.6 kb EcoRI DNA with T4

DNA ligase (300 units) in 50 μ l of. a ligation buffer at 16°C for 2 hours. The 1 igation mixture was used to transform E. coli

JM109 to obtain the desired plasmid pCK002 carrying kanamycin resistant gene for antibiotic marker.

Example 3 (Construction of pCK013, a high expression vector for

CC acylase N176):

(1) Construction of ρCC013A:

(i) Construction of ρCC007A: Plasmid pCCOOlA was digested with

EcoRI and Mlul and the resulting 6.4 kb DNA fragment was isolated by agarose gel electrophoresis. The recovered DNA was ligated to synthetic DNA oligomers 007a and 007b (0.5 μg, respectively, Table 1), each of which were phosphorylated prior to the ligation reaction, with T4 DNA ligase (300 units) at

16°C for 5 hours. The resultant mixture was used to transform

E. coli JM109 to obtain the desired plasmid pCC007A.

(ii) Construction of pCCNt013: Plasmid pCC007A (1.0 μg ) was digested with Clal and Ba HI and the resultant 6.1 kb DNA was isolated by 5% polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The DNA was ligated to synthetic oligomers 013a and 013b (0.5 μg, respectively, each of which were phosphorylated, Table 1) with

T4 DNA ligase (30C units). The ligation mixture was used to transform E. coli JM109 and the desired plasmid pCCNjt013 was isolated from ampicillin resistant transformants.

(iii) Construction of pCC013A: Plasmid pCCNt013 was digested

with Ba HI and Mlul and the resultant 6.1 kb DNA was isolated. On the other hand, pCC002A (1.0 μg ) was digested with Mlul and Sau3AI to obtain 189 bp DNA fragment. The resultant DNA was ligated to the 6.1 kb BamHI/MluI DNA fragment with T4 DNA ligase (300 units) and the ligation mixture was used to transform E. coli JM109. From one of the transformants resistant to ampicillin, the desired plasmid pCC013A that has AT-rich NH ₂ terminal DNA sequence (coding for the same amino acid sequence as that of native CC acylase N176) was isolated. (2) Construction of pCK013, a kanamycin resistant expression vector for native CC acylase N176:

(i) Construction of pΔN176: Plasmid pCK002 (1.0 μg ) was digested with Aatll (T0Y0B0) and the resultant DNA was treated with T4 DNA ligase (150 units) for self-1 igation. The ligation mixture was used to transform E. coli JM109 to obtain the desired plasmid pΔN176 carrying a unique Atall restriction endonuclease site.

(ii) Costruction of pCK013: Plasmid pΔN176 (1.0 μg ) was digested with Aatll and the linearized DNA was treated with bacterial alkaline phosphatase (1 unit, Takara shuzo) in 100 mM TrisΗCl (pH 8.0) buffer 42°C for 1 hour. The dephosphorylated DNA was isolated and ligated to the 2.5 kb Aatll DNA from pCC013A with T4 DNA ligase. The ligation mixture was used to transform E. coli JM109 to obtain the desired plasmid pCK013 carrying kanamaycin resitant gene for marker. Example 4 (Point mutation of DNA coding for CC acylase N176 by

Kunkel ' s method)

(1) Subcloning of DNA coding for CC acylase N176 to M13 phage: (i) Preparation of mplδplδl : Plasmid pCC013A (An expression vector for native CC acylase N176 carrying ampici 11 in-resistant marker and construction of this plasmid is disclosed in European Patent Application Publication No. 558,241, p.8) was digested with Hpal and Smal. The 842 bp DNA coding for Met ¹ to Pro ²⁶⁷ of CC acylase N176 was isolated. The DNA was ligated to 7250 bp M13mpl8 digested wi-h Smal in the presence of T4 DNA ligase and the ligation mixture was used to transform E. coli JM109. From one of th Plaques, the desired RF DNA mplδplδl in which the part of the ..ylase DNA had been inserted in the reverse directi:.. with plus or M13, was isolated and characterized by restriction ng. The phage solution from which RF DNA mplδplδl was prepared was stored at 4°C before use.

RF DNA mρl8ρl83 was prepared from 1162bp HpaI/Eco47III DNA coding for Met ¹ to Ala ⁴¹⁴ of CC acylase N176 from pCC013A and 7250 bp M13mplδ digested with Hindi in a manner similar to that described above.

(ii) Preparation of single-stranded U-mplδρlδl-SS(cf. Kunkel, T.A. et al. Methods Enzyml. 154, 367): A single colony of E. coli CJ236 (dut-, ung-, F' )(Bio-Rad Lab. ) was cultured in 2 ml of 2XTY broth containing chloramphenicol (30 g/ml) at 37°C for 16 hours. The cells (0.1 ml) were transferred to a fresh 2XTY broth (50 ml) containing 30 g/ml chloramphenicol and the

cultivation was continued at 37°C. When the absorbance at 600 nm reached 0.3, the phage solution (MOI < 0.2) of mplδplδl was added to the culture. The cultivation was continued for additional 5 hours. After centrifugation at 17,000xg at 4°c for 15 min, the supernatant was centrifuged again. The resultant supernatant (30 ml) was treated with RNase (150 g/ml, Sigma) at ambient temperature for 30 min, followed by addition of 7.5 ml of PEG solution (3.5 M NH ₄ 0Ac in 20% polyethyleneglycol δ,000). After centrifugation (17,000xg, 15 min, 4°C), the residue was suspended in 200 μ l of a buffer consisting of 300 mM NaCI, 100 mM Tris-ΗCl (pH δ.O) and 0.1 mM EDTA. The resultant solution was extracted with 200 μ l of phenol and 200 μ l of phenol/CHCla (1:1), successively, and washed twice with CHC1 ₃ (200 μ l ) . To the solution, 7.5 M NH4OAC (100 μl) and ethanol (600 μ l ) were added to precipitate phage DNA. The DNA was collected by centrifugation, washed with 700 μ l of ice-cooled 90% ethanol, and dried in vacuo. The purified single-stranded U-DNA (U-mplδplδl-SS) was suspended in 20 μ l of TE buffer and stored at 4°C before use.

Other single-stranded U-DNAs for Kunkel' s mutation method were prepared in a manner similar to that described above. (2) Preparation of mplδplδlM164A for mutant CC acylase M164A: An oligodeoxyribonucleotide S0-M164A (0.2 n ol) was incubated with T4 DNA kinase (10 units) in 15 μl of buffer consisting of 1.3 mM ATP, 10 mM dithiothreitol (DTT), 50 M Tris.HCI, 6.6 mM in 5% polyethyleneglycol (PEG) 6,000 at 37°C for 60 min. The

phosphorylated primer (1.5 μ l , 20 pmol) was mixed with SS-U-DNA of mplδplδl (1 μ l , 0.1 pmol) in 20 μ l of a buffer consisting of 10 mM Tris-HCl (pH δ.O), 6 M and 40 mM NaCI. The mixture was heated at 75°C for 5 min, followed by cooling to room temperature over 40 min, and then the mixture was placed at 0°C- To the mixture, T4 DNA polymerase (15 units), T4 DNA ligase (600 units), 100 mM dithiothreitol (DTT, 6 μl ) , 10 mM ATP (2 μ l ) and 5 M dNTP (dATP, dCTP, dGTP and dTTP, 2 μ l ) were added. The resulting mixture was incubated at room temperature for 5 min and at 37°C for 1.5 h, successively. A portion of the reaction mixture (1.0 μ l ) was added to competent cells (100 μ l ) of E. coli ^~ JM109 prepared according to Sigesada's method [Sigesada, K. (1983) SAIB0-K0UGAKU (Japanese) 2, 616-626], and the cells were incubated on wet ice for 30 min. To the transformed cells, E. coli JM109 cultivated in L broth (A600=0.δ, 200 μ l ) was added, and the mixture of the cells was added to 3 ml of H Top agar (1% Bactotrypton, 0.δ% NaCI, 0.δ% agar) preheated at 55°C- The mixture was spread over an H plate (1% Bactotryptone, 0.δ% NaCI, 1.5% agar) and the plate was incubated at 37°c for 16 h. From plaques on the plate, the desired ia DNA (mplδplδlM164A) was isolated and characterized by digestion with Ba HI.

(3) Preparation of ρCKM164A for mutant CC acylase M164A: mplδρl81M164A was digested with Mlul and BstBI, and the 5δ2 bp DNA fragment was isolated by agarose gel electrophoresis. Also, pCK013 (an expression vector for native CC acylase N176

carrying kanamycin-resistant marker and construction of this plasmid is disclosed in European Patent Application Publication No. 558, 241, p. 8) was digested with Mlul and BstBI and a larger DNA fragment was isolated. The resultant DNA (0.03 pmol) was ligated to the 562 bp MluI/BstBI DNA (0.15 pmol) with T4 DNA ligase (300 units) in 10 μl of a ligation buffer (66 mM TrisΗCl (pH 7.6), 6.6 mM, 10 M B-mercaptoethanol, 0.5 mM ATP) at ambient temperature for 5 hours. The ligation mixture was used to transform E. coli JM109. From one of the transformants resistant to kanamycin, the desired plasmid pCKM164A was isolated and characterized by restriction mapping. The transformant was named as E. coli JM109/pCKM164A, a glycerol stock of which was prepared in a conventional manner.

(4) Preparation of mplδρlδlM174A for mutant CC acylase M174A: mplδplδlM174A was prepared from SS-U-DNA of mplδplδl and DNA oligomer S0-M174A in a manner similar to that described above.

(5) Preparation of expression vector, pCKM174A for mutant CC acylase M174A:

An expression vector for mutant CC acylase M174A and a transformant thereof were prepared in a manner similar to that described above and designated as pCKM174A and E. coli JM109/ρCKM174A, respectively. A glycerol stock of the transformant was prepared in a conventional manner.

(6) Preparation of expression vector, pCKS166A for mutant CC acylase S166A: mplδplδ3S166A for mutant CC acylase S166A was prepared from

mplδplδδ and DNA oligomer S0-S166A (5' -CATCCGCCAAAGCTTGAACCACACC GCACCCATAAG) in a manner similar to that described above. mplδplδ3S166A was digested with Mlul and BstBI. A smaller DNA fragment was isolated and ligated with a larger DNA fragment of pCK013 digested with Mlul and BstBI to give pCKS166A. E. coli JM109 was transformed with , CKS166A to give a transformant E. coli JM109/pCKS166A, a glycerol stock of which was prepared in a conventional manner.

Example 5 (Point mutation of DNA coding for CC acylase N176 by PCR method)

(1) Preparation of expression vector, pCKM164L for mutant CC acylase M164L: ρCK013 (template DNA, 0.5 fmol), DNA oligomer SO-MluFor [primer #1, 125 pmol, Fig. 1(b)] and S0-M164L [primer #2, 125 pmol, Fig. 1(b)] were mixed with Taq DNA polymerase (Kurabo, 1 unit) in 100 μ l of a buffer consisting of 10 mM Tris-HCl (pH 9.0), 50 mM KC1, 0.1% Triton X-100, 2.5 M and 0.2 mM dNTP. The mixture was covered with mineral oil and PCR (Polymerase chain reaction) was carried out as follows. After an initial denaturation (96°C for 0.5 min), the reaction was performed for 30 cycles of amplification (97°c for 1.5 min, 50°C for 2.5 min and 72°C for 2.5 min), followed by final extension (72°C for 7 min). The resultant mixture was extracted with phenol, precipitated with ethanol and digested with BamHI and Mlul. The 235 bp BamHI/MluI DNA was ligated to a larger DNA fragment of pCKM164A digested with BamHI and Mlul. The ligation mixture

was used to transform E. coli JM109. From one of the transformants resistant to kanamycin, the desired plasmid pCKM164L was isolated and characterized by restriction mapping. E. coli JM109 was transformed with pCKM164L to give a transformant E. coli JM109/pCKM164L, a glycerol stock of which was prepared in a conventional manner.

(2) Preparation of expression vector, pCKM164G for mutant CC acylase M164G:

Mutation and amplification of the DNA fragment for mutant CC acylase M164G was performed using pCK013 (template DNA) and DNA oligomers SO-MluFor [primer #1, Fig. 1(b)] and S0-M164G [Fig. 1(b)] in a manner similar to that described above. The resultant 2δ5 bp BamHI/MluI DNA was ligated to a larger DNA fragment of pCKM164A digested with Mlul and BamHI to give pCKM164G. E. coli JM109 was transformed with pCKM164G to give a transformant E. coli JM109/pCKM164G, a glycerol stock of which was prepared in a conventional manner.

(3) Expression vectors for other M164 mutant CC acylase: Expression vectors for M164X mutant acylases (X = C, D, E, F, H, I, K, N, P, Q, R, S, T, V, W or Y) and transformants thereof were prepared in a manner similar to that described above. Example 6 (Preparation of expression vectors for other mutant CC acylases)

(1) Construction of mpl9pfu62:

M13mpl9 (1.0 μg) was digested with Smal (5 units) and Hindlll (5 units) and the resulting 7.2 kb DNA was isolated by agarose gel

electrophoresis. On the other hand, pCK002 (construction of this plasmid is disclosed in European Patent Application Publication No. 556,241, p. 7) was digested with Smal and Hindlll and a 1.6 kb DNA was isolated. The resulting DNA was ligated to the 7.2 kb Smal/Hindlll DNA ^* with T4 DNA ligase (300 units) in 20 μ l of a ligation buffer at 15°C for 2 h. The ligation mixture was used to transform E. coli JM109 to obtain the desired RF DNA mρl9ρfu62. The single-stranded U-DNA (SS-U- DNA) of mpl9pfu62 was prepared in a manner similar to that described in Example 2 (l)(ii).

(2) Preparation of mpl9pfu62M465A for mutant CC acylase M465A: mpl9pfu62M465A was prepared from SS-U-DNA of mpl9pfu62 and DNA oligomer S0-M465A [Fig. 1(a)] in a manner similar to that described above.

(3) Preparation of mpl9pfu62M506A for mutant CC acylase M506A: mpl9ρfu62M506A was prepared from SS-U-DNA of mpl9pfu62 and DNA oligomer SO-M506A [Fig. 1(a)] in a manner similar to that described above.

(4) Preparation of mpl9pfu62M750A for mutant CC acylase M750A: mpl9pfu62M750A was prepared from SS-U-DNA of mpl9pfu62 and DNA oligomer SO-M750A [Fig. 1(a)] in a manner similar to that described above.

(5) Preparation of expression vector, pCKM465A for mutant CC acylase M465A: mpl9pfu62M465A was digested with PstI and Ncol, and a smaller DNA fragment (1271 bp) was isolated by agarose gel

electrophoresis. Also, pCK013 was digested with PstI and Ncol. A larger DNA was isolated and ligated to the 1271 bp Pstl/Ncol DNA with T4 DNA ligase in a buffer consisting of 50 mM Tris- HCI, 10 mM, 1.0 mM DTT and 5% PEG 6,000. The ligation mixture was used to transform E. coli DH10B. From one of the transformants resistant to kanamycin, the desired plasmid pCKM465A was isolated and characterized by restriction mapping. E. coli JM109 was transformed with pCKM465A to give a transformant E. coli JM109/pCKM465A, a glycerol stock of which was prepared in a conventional manner.

(6) Preparation of expression vector, pCKM506A for mutant CC acylase M506A:

The pCKM506A was constructed from pCK013 and mpl9pfu62M506A in a manner similar to that described above. E. coli JM109 was transformed with pCKM506A to give a transformant E. coli JM109/pCKM506A, a glycerol stock of which was prepared in a conventional manner.

(7) Preparation of expression vector, ρCKM750A for mutant CC acylase M750A:

The pCKM750A was constructed from pCK013 and mpl9pfu62M750A in a manner similar to that described above. E. coli JM109 was transformed with pCKM750A to give a transformant E. coli

JM109/pCKM750A, a glycerol stock of which was prepared in a conventional manner.

Example 7 (Preparation of expression vectors for E35δ mutant CC acylases)

(1) Preparation of expression vectors for M269I/E358 mutant CC acylases:

(i) Preparation of expression vector, p269I358K for mutant CC acylase M269I/E35δK:

A larger DNA fragment of ρCK013 digested with Hpal and Mlul (0.5 fmol), DNA oligomer S0-E358K [5' -TAACCGGGCCATGGCGCGTCTTGACTATAT CGAACT, 125 pmol, listed in Fig. 1(b) (ii)] and SO-BstFor [5 ¹ - ATCGCGTCTTCGAAATACCGGGCATC, 125 pmol, listed in Fig. l(b)(ii)] were mixed with Taq DNA polymerase (TaKaRa, 1 unit) in 100 μ l of a buffer consisting of 10 mM TrisΗCl (pH 8.3), 50 mM KC1, 0.1% gelatin, 1.5 mM and 0.2 mM t' TP. The mixture was covered with mineral oil and subjected to initial denaturation (96°C for 0.5 min), 25 cycles of amplification (97°C for 1.5 min, 50°C for 2.5 min and 72°C for 2.5 min) and final extension (72°C for 7 min). The reaction mixture was extracted with phenol, precipitated with ethanol, and digested with Ncol and BstBI. The resultant DNA (290 bp) was ligated to a larger DNA fragment of pCK013 digested with Ncol and BstBI. The ligation mixture was used to transform E. coli DH10B (purchased from Gibco-BRL).

From one of the transformants resistant to kanamycin, the desired plasmid p269I358K was isolated and characterized by restriction mapping. E. coli JM109 was transformed with p269I35δK to give a transformant E. coli JM109/p269I35δK, a glycerol stock of which was prepared in a conventional manner, (ii) Preparation of expression vectors, p269I35δS and p269I35δL for mutant CC acylases M269I/E356S and M269I/E353L,

respectively:

Expression vector for M269I/E358S (or M269I/E358L) was prepared from pCK013 and DNA oligomers SO-BstFor and S0-E35δS [or S0- E358L, listed in Fig. l(b)(ii)] in a manner similar to that described above. E. coli JM109 was transformed with p269I358S (or p269I35δL) to give a transformant E. coli JM109/p269I35δS (or E. coli JM109/p269I35δL), a glycerol stock of which was prepared in a conventional manner.

(2) Preparation of expression vectors for other E35δ mutant CC acylases:

(i) Preparation of expression vector, pCCE35δR for mutant CC acylase E35δR: mρlδplδ3E35δR for mutant CC acylase E358R was prepared from mρl8plδ3 and DNA oligomers S0-E35δR [Fig. l(b)(ii)] in a manner similar to that described in Example 2. A smaller DNA of mplδplδ3E35δR digested with Mlul and Ncol was ligated to a larger DNA of pCC013A digested with Mlul and Ncol to give pCCE35δR. E. coli JM109 was transformed with pCCE35δR to give a transformant E. coli JM109/pCCE35δR, a glycerol stock of which was prepared in a conventional manner, (ii) Preparation of expression vector, mutant CC acylase pCCE353T for E358T: mpl8ρlδ3E35δT for mutant CC acylase E35δT was prepared from mplδplδ3 and DNA oligomer S0-E35δT [Fig. 1(b) (ii)] in a manner similar to that described in Example 2. A smaller DNA of mρlδpl83E35δT digested with Mlul and Ncol was ligated to a

larger DNA of pCC013A digested with Mlul and Ncol to give pCCE358T. E. coli JM109 was transformed with pCCE358T to give a transformant E. coli JM109/pCCE358T, a glycerol stock of which was prepared in a conventional manner.

Example δ (Preparation of multiple mutant CC acylases)

(1) Combination of M164L or M164A with another mutant CC acylase:

(i) Preparation of expression vector, pl64L269Y for mutant CC acylase M164L/M269Y: pCKM164L was digested with Mlul and BstBI and a smaller DNA (5δ2 bp) was isolated. On the other hand, pCKM269Y (construction method of this plasmid is disclosed in European Patent

Application Publication No. 55δ,241, p. 10) was digested with

Mlul and BstBI. The resultant DNA (ca 6.2 kb) was isolated and ligated to 5δ2 bp MluI/BstBI DNA. The ligation mixture was used to transform E. coli DH10B. From one of the transformants resistant to kanamycin, the desired pl64L269Y was isolated and characterized by restriction mapping. E. coli JM109 was transformed with pl64L269Y to give a transformant E. coli

JM109/pl64L269Y, a glycerol stock of which was prepared in a conventional manner.

(ii) Preparation of expression vector, pl64L269F for mutant CC acylase M164L/M269F: pCKM164L was digested with Mlul and BstBI and a smaller DNA (5δ2 bp) was isolated. On the other hand, pCKM269F (construction method of this plasmid is disclosed in European Patent

Application Publication No. 558,241, p. 15 - 16) was digested with Mlul and BstBI. A larger DNA fragment (ca 6.2 kb) was isolated and ligated to 582 bp MluI/BstBI DNA. The ligation mixture was used to transform E. coli DH10B. From one of the transformants resistant to kanamycin, the desired pl64L269F was isolated and characterized by restriction mapping. E. coli JM109 was transformed with pl64L269F to give a transformant E. coli JM109/pl64L269F, a glycerol stock of which was prepared in a conventional manner.

(iii) Preparation of expression vector, pl64L269Y305S for mutant CC acylase M164L/M269Y/C305S: pl64L269Y305S was prepared from pCKM164L and p269Y305S (construction method of this plasmid is disclosed in European Patent Application Publication No. 558,241, p. 10) in a manner similar to that described above. E. coli JM109 was transformed with pl64L269Y305S to give a transformant E. coli JM109/pl64L269Y305S, a glycerol stock of which was prepared in a conventional manner.

(iv) Preparation of expression vector, pl64L174A for mutant CC acylase M164L/M174A:

Hpal/Ncol DNA (1122 bp) from pCKM164L (template DNA, 0.5 fmol), DNA oligomers SO-MluFor [primer #1, 125 pmol, Fig. 1 (b) ( i ) 3 and S0-M174A2 (δ'-GACCGGCAGCGCTAGCGCCCGCCAGAGCTTGA, primer #2, 125 pmol) were mixed with Taq DNA polymerase (TaKaRa, 1 unit) in 100 μ l of a buffer consisting of 10 mM Tris-HCl (pH 8.3), 50 mM KC1, 0.1% gelatin, 1.5 mM and 0.2 M dNTP. The mixture was

covered with mineral oil and subjected to initial denaturation

(96°C for 0.5 min), 25 cycles of amplification (97°C for 1.5 min, 50°C for 2.5 min and 72°C for 2.5 min) and final extension (72°C for 7 min). The resultant mixture was extracted with phenol, precipitated with ethanol, and digested with Mlul and Nhel. The resultant DNA was ligated to a larger DNA fragment of pCKM174A digested with Mlul and Nhel to give the desired plasmid pl64L174A. E. coli JM109 was transformed with the pl64L174A to give a transformant E. coli JM109/pl64L174A, a glycerol stock of which was prepared in a conventional manner, (v) Preparation of expression vector, ρl64A174A for mutant CC acylase M164A/M174A: pl64A174A was prepared from pCKM164A (template DNA), SO-MluFor [primer #1, Fig. 1(b)(1)], S0-M174A [primer #2, Fig. 1(a)] and pCKM174A (vector DNA) in a manner similar to that described above. E. coli JM109 was transformed with pl64A174A to give a transformant E. coli JM109/pl64A174A, a glycerol stock of which was prepared in a conventional manner.

(vi) Preparation of expression vector, pl64A269Y for mutant CC acylase M164A/M269Y: pCKM164A was digested with Mlul and BstBI and a small DNA (582 bp) was isolated. On the other hand, pCKM269Y was digested with Mlul and BstBI. The resultant larger DNA fragment was ligated to the 582 bp MluI/BstBI DNA and the ligation mixture was used to transform E. coli DH10B. From one of the transformants resistant to kanamycin, the desired plasmid

pl64A269Y was isolated and characterized by restriction mapping. E. coli JM109 was transformed with pl64A269Y to give a transformant E. coli JM109/pl64A269Y, a glycerol stock of which was prepared in a conventional manner.

(vii) Preparation of expression vectors for mutant CC acylases, M164L/M174A/M269Y, M164L/M174A/M269F and M164A/M174A/M269Y/C305S A smaller DNA of pl64L174A digested with Mlul and BstBI was ligated to a larger DNA fragment of pCKM269Y (or pCKM269F or p269Y305S) digested with Mlul and BstBI to give the desired vector, pl64L174A269Y (or pl64L174A269F or pl64A174A269Y305S) . E. coli JM109 was transformed with the pl64L174A269Y (or pl64L174A269F or pl64A174A269Y305S) to give a transformant E. coli JM109/pl64L174A269Y (or E. coli JM109/pl64L174A269F or E. coli JM109/pl64A174A269Y305S), a glycerol stock of which was prepared in a conventional manner.

(viii) Preparation of expresion vector, pl64L174A269Y305S750A for mutant CC acylase, M164L/M174A/M269Y/C305S/M750A: pCKM750A was digested with PstI and Ncol. A smaller DNA was isolated and ligated to the larger DNA of pl64L174A269Y305S digested with PstI and Ncol to give the desired plasmid. E. coli JM109 was transformed with pl64L174A269Y305S750A to give a transformant E. coli JM109/pl64L174A269Y305S750A, a glycerol stock of which was prepared in a conventional manner. (2) Combination of A49L with other mutant acylases. (i) Preparation of mplδplδlA49L for mutant CC acylase A49L: mρlδρlδlA49L was prepared from SS-U-DNA of mplδplδl and DNA

oligomer S0-A49L in a manner similar to that described in Example 2.

(ii) Preparation of expression vector, pCKA49L for mutant CC acylase A49L: mplδplδlA49L was digested with Clal and Mlul and a 21δ bp DNA was isolated. On the other hand, pCC013A was digested with Clal and Mlul. The resultant larger DNA was isolated and ligated to the 218 bp Clal/Mlul DNA. The ligation mixture was used to transform E. coli JM109. From one of the transformants resistant to ampicillin, an expression vector for mutant CC acylase A49L, designated as pCCA49L, was isolated and characteriz--ι by re triction mapping. A 250 bp Hpal/Mlul DNA fragment fio.r pCCA49L was ligated to a larger DNA fragment of pCK013 digested with Hpal and Mlul to give pCKA49L. (iii) Comparison of expression of native CC acylase and mutant CC acylase A49L:

Glycerol stock solution (1 ml) of E. coli JM109/pCKA49L (or JM109/pCK013) which had been prepared by transforming E. coli JM109 with the plasmid pCKA49L (or pCK013) in a conventional manner was transferred to 100 ml of L broth containing 50 g/ml kanamycin, and the mixture was cultured at 30°c for 8 hours. The cultured broth (3.75 ml) was added to 25 ml of N-3 broth (ingredients: 5% soybean sauce, 1% glycerol, 1.25% K ₂ HP0 _< , 0.3δ% KH2PO4, 50 g/ml thiamine-HCl, 2 mM MgS0 _< -7H ₂ Q< 0.2 mM CaCl ₂ «2H ₂ 0, 0.05 mM FeSo<-7H ₂ 0) containing 25 g/ml kanamycin, and the mixture was cultured at 22.5°C for 16 hours.

At 16 h, 3-indoleacryl ic acid (IAA) was added to the cultured broth to a final concentration of 20 g/ml and the cultivation was continued for additional 56 hours. Cells were harvested by centrifugation at 14,000 rpm for 15 min at 4°C , suspended in 40 ml of TE buffer (pH δ.O) and lysed by sonication. The lysate was centrifuged at 14,000 rpm for 20 min at 4°c to obtain the supernatant (designated as "soup" fraction). The residues were resuspended in 40 ml of a buffer containing 100 mM Tris-HCl (pH δ.O), 1 mM EDTA and 8 M urea and lysed by sonication. After centrifugation to remove insoluble materials, the supernatant was collected (designated as "ppt" fraction). The "soup" and "ppt" fractions of mutant CC acylase A49L and native CC acylase N176 were analyzed by 15% SDS-PAGE. The cellular insoluble precursor protein was greatly decreased by mutation from a native CC acylase to a mutant CC acylase A49L. The results corresponded to the amounts of mature acylases (native CC acylase or mutant CC acylase A49L) in "soup" assayed by reversed phase HPLC (in the following Table).

A49L (units/ml broth) native (units/ml broth)

72.6 35.6

(iv) Preparation of expression vector, p49L164L174A269Y for

mutant CC acylase, A49L/M164L/M174A/M269Y:

The 772 bp Mlul/Ncol DNA from pl64L174A269Y was ligated to a larger DNA of pCKA49L digested with Mlul and Ncol to give the desired plasmid p49L164L174A269Y. E. coli JM109 was transformed with p49L164L174A269Y to give a transformant E. coli JM109/p49L164L174A269Y, a glycerol stock of which was prepared in a conventional manner.

Example 9 (Expression and purification of mutant CC acylases) (1) Expression of mutant CC acylase M164A:

A glycerol stock of E. coli JM109/pCKM164A (0.5 ml) was added to 50 ml of L broth containing 50 g/ l kanamycin and the mixture was cultivated at 30°C for 8 h. The cultivated broth (3.75 ml) was transferred to 25 ml of N-3 broth (5.0% soybean source (Osaka Shokuhinn Kagaku), 0.608% Na ₂ HP0 ₄ , 0.7% KH ₂ P0 _< , 0.7% K _Z HP0 ₄ , 0.12% (NH ₄ ) ₂ S04, 0.02% NH ₄ C1, 0.0011% FeS0 ₄ -7H ₂ 0, 0.0011% CaCl ₂ .2H ₂ 0, 0.000276% nS0 • nH ₂ 0, 0.000276% AlCl ₃ ->6 H ₂ 0, 0.00011% CoCl ₂ -6H ₂ 0, 0.0000552% ZnS0 ₄ *-*7H ₂ 0, 0.0000552% NaMoθ4-2H ₂ 0, 0.0000276% CuSθ4-7H ₂ 0, 0.0000138% H3BO4, 50 g/ml vitamin Bl, 0.048% MgS0 ₄ ) containing 1.0% glycerol and 12.5 μg/ml kanamycin. The mixture was incubated at 20 - 22°c for 8δ h with addition of B-indoleacryric acid (final concentration 20 g/ml) at 16 h and glycerol (final concentration 1.0%) at 16 and 24 h after the start of cultivation. Cells were harvested by centrifugation (δ,000 rpm at 4°C for 10. min), suspended in 10 ml of TE buffer (10 mM Tris- HCI (pH δ.O), 1.0 mM EDTA) and lysed by sonication. After centrifugation (15,000

rpm at 4°C for 20 min), the supernatant (crude lysate) was stored at 4°C until use.

(2) Purification of M164A:

The crude lysate (1.0 ml) was filtrated using a 0.45 μm column guard (Millipore) and applied to a TSK-gelTM DEAE-5PW (TOSOH, 4.6x50 mm) high performance liquid chromatography column. Elution was performed with a concave gradient from δ0% of A buffer [25 M Tris-HCl (pH δ.O)] + 20% of B buffer [0.5 M NaCl-25 mM Tris-HCl (pH δ.O)] to 50% of A buffer + 50% of B buffer over 30 min at a flow rate of 1.0 ml/min. Absorbance at 230 nm was used to monitor the eluate. The last main peak eluted with approximately 0.16 M NaCI was collected to obtain a pure preparation of mutant CC acylase M164A.

(3) Expression of other mutant CC acylases:

Cultivation of E. coli JM109 carrying another expression vector (such as pCKM164L, pCKM164G, pCKM174A, pCKM465A, pCKM506A, pCKM750A, pl64L/269Y, pl64L/269Y/305S, pl64L/174A/269Y/305S, p269I/35δK, p269I/35δS, pl64L/269F, pl64L/174A/269F, pCKS166A, P164L/174A/269Y/305S/750A, pl64A/269Y, pCK49L and p49L/164L/174A) and preparation of the crude lysate was performed in a manner similar to that described above.

(4) Purification of other mutant CC acylases:

Other mutant CC acylases (such as M164L, M164G, M174A, M465A, M506A, M750A, M164L/M269Y, M164L/M269Y/C305S, M164L/M174A/M269Y/ S305S, M269I/E358K, M269I/E358S, M164L/M269F, M164L/M174A/M269F, S166A, M164L/M174A/M269Y/C305S/M750A, M164A/269Y, and

A49L/M164L/M174A) were purified from each of crude lysates in a manner similar to that described above. (5) Identification of mutant CC acylases:

Purified mutant CC acylases such as M164A, M164L, M164G, M174A, M465A, M506A, M750A, M164L/M269Y, M164L/M269Y/C305S, M164L/M174A/M269Y/S305S, M269I/E353K, M269I/E35δS, M164L/M269F, M164L/M174A/M269F, S166A, M164L/M174A/M269Y/C305S/M750A, M164A/269Y, and A49L/M164L/M174A were characterized by 12.5% SDS-PAGE analysis and reversed phase HPLC. From the SDS-PAGE analysis in the presence of β-mercaptoethanol, each purified acylase was confirmed to consist of two independent subunits, 25.4 kDa and 5δ.4 kDa peptides corresponding to and β subunits, respectively, whose molecular weights were calculated from their mobility on gel electrophoresis. In HPLC analysis, each purified acylase was dissociated to 2 independent peptides, a and β subunits, which were eluted at approximately δ.7 and 5.δ min, respectively [HPLC conditions, column: 5C4-AR-300, 4.6x 50 mm; eluate: linear gradient from 35% to 70% aqueous acetonitrile containing 0.05% trifluoroacetic acid over 10 min; detection: 214 nm]. The both subunits of each mutant acylase were isolated by the reversed phase HPLC system and determined to be identical to the sequence of native acylase by amino terminal sequence analysis with 473A protein sequencer (Applied Biosystems). Example 10 (DNA sequence analysis)

DNA sequence of vectors for mutant acylases such as M164A,

M164L, M164G, M174A, M465A, M506A, M750A, M164L/M269Y, M164L/M269Y/C305S, M164L/M174A/M269Y/S305S, M269I/E358K, M269I/E356S, M164L/M269F, M164L/M174A/M269F, S166A, M164L/M174A/M269Y/C305S/M750A, M164A/269Y, and A49L/M164L/M174A was determined by 373A DNA sequencer (Applied Biosystems) and confirmed to be identical to that as expected. Example 11 (CC acylase activity)

The CC acylase activity at pH δ.7 of each of the mutant acylases as listed in Table 2 was determined in the same manner as described above. The results are shown in Table 2.

Table 2

Relative activity of CC acylase:

(*: calculated as native = 100%)

mutant acylase CC acylase activity native (N176) 100*

M164L 122

M174A 123

M465A 136

M506A 140

M750A 142

M164L/M269Y 161

M164L/M269Y/C305S 141

M164L/M174A/M269Y/C305S 155

M269I/E35δK 153

M269I/E356S 184

M164L/M269F 193

M164L/M174A/M269F lδ4

S166A 166

M164L/M174A/M269Y 245

Ml64L/M1" A/M269Y/C305S/M750A 192

M164A/M21 172

A49L/M164L/M174A/M269Y 226

Example 12 (GL-7ACA acylase activity)

The GL-7ACA acylase activity at pH 7.5 of each of the mutant acylases as listed in Table 3 was determined in the same manner as described above. The results are shown in Table 3.

Table 3

Relative activity of GL-7ACA acylase:

(*: calculated as native = 100%)

mutant acylase GL-7ACA acylase activity

native (N176) 100*

M164A 167

M164G 162