Patent ID: 8916364

Claim:
A nitrilase comprising an amino acid sequence having at least 85% homology with the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 2, which, in comparison with the nitrilase having the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 2, (i) has an activity increased by at least 15% in the reaction of a nitrile to the corresponding carboxylic acid, wherein the nitrile is selected from the group consisting of 2-methylglutaronitrile, 1-(cyanomethyl)cyclohexane-1-carbonitrile and benzonitrile; and/or (ii) has at least one amino acid substitution selected from the group consisting of: a) substitution of Leu in the position which corresponds to position 9 of SEQ ID NO: 2 by an amino acid selected from the group consisting of Arg, Glu, Ile, and Lys; b) substitution of Val in the position which corresponds to position 63 of SEQ ID NO: 2 by an amino acid selected from the group consisting of Ile, Met, Pro, and Thr; c) substitution of Thr in the position which corresponds to position 70 of SEQ ID NO: 2 by an amino acid selected from the group consisting of Ala, Arg, Asn, Asp, Cys, Gln, Glu, Gly, Ile, Leu, Met, Phe, Pro, Ser, Tyr and Val; d) substitution of Arg in the position which corresponds to position 94 of SEQ ID NO: 2 by an amino acid selected from the group consisting of Ala, Asn, Gln, Glu, Gly, His, Ile, Leu, Lys, Met, Phe, Pro, Ser, Thr, Tyr and Val; e) substitution of Leu in the position which corresponds to position 194 of SEQ ID NO: 2 by an amino acid selected from the group consisting of Cys, Lys, Met, and Tyr; f) substitution of Thr in the position which corresponds to position 208 of SEQ ID NO: 2 by an amino acid selected from the group consisting of Ala, Gly, and Leu; g) substitution of Cys in the position which corresponds to position 250 of SEQ ID NO: 2 by an amino acid selected from the group consisting of Ala, Arg, Gly, His, Lys, Met, Phe, Ser, Thr, and Tyr; h) substitution of Val in the position which corresponds to position 305 of SEQ ID NO: 2 by an amino acid selected from the group consisting of Leu and Met; and i) substitution of Asp in the position which corresponds to position 308 of SEQ ID NO: 2 by an amino acid selected from the group consisting of Asn, and Trp.