Patent ID: 8389265

Claim:
A method for producing an acetic acid bacterium with suppressed foaming ability, said method comprising modifying a gene encoding an endogenous protein involved in foam formation in the acetic acid bacterium to reduce the activity of said endogenous protein to mediate foam formation, wherein (I) said endogenous protein involved in foam formation is selected from the group consisting of: (A) the protein encoded by the nucleotide sequence set forth by nucleotides 846 to 3794 of SEQ ID NO: 1; (B) a protein encoded by a nucleotide sequence that is at least 95% identical to nucleotides 846 to 3794 of SEQ ID NO: 1; (C) a protein encoded by a nucleotide sequence wherein 1 to 20 nucleotides are substituted, deleted, inserted or added in the nucleotide sequence of nucleotides 846 to 3794 of SEQ ID NO:1; (D) the protein of SEQ ID NO: 2; (E) a protein consisting of an amino acid sequence wherein 1 to 20 amino acids are substituted, deleted, inserted or added in the amino acid sequence shown by SEQ ID NO: 2; and (F) a protein consisting of an amino acid sequence that is at least 95% identical to SEQ ID NO:2, and (II) the acetic acid bacterium is a bacterium selected from the group consisting of the genus Acetobacter , the genus Gluconobacter , and the genus Gluconacetobacter , and has an acetic acid generating ability by alcohol oxidation.