Patent ID: 7148051
Filing Date: 2006-12-12
Classification: C12N,C12P

Abstract:
1. An isolated nucleic acid molecule encoding an enzymatically-active polypeptide having the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:4; said isolated nucleic acid molecule further comprising at least one mutation that results in at least one amino acid substitution of SEQ ID NQ:4, selected from the group consisting of: a) a substitution at position 210 with alanine, isoleucine, or cysteine; b) a substitution at position 65 with cysteine; c) a substitution at position 168 with lysine, valine or leucine; and d) a substitution at position 174 with isoleucine, wherein said nucleic acid molecule encodes a polypeptide having nitrilase activity at least 1.8-fold higher relative to the activity of the A. facilis 72W (ATCC 55746) nitrilase when converting 3-hydroxyvaleronitrile to 3-hydroxyvaleric acid under identical reaction conditions.