Patent ID: 7807443

Claim:
An isolated microorganism of the genus Bacillus having at least one gene selected from the group consisting of: (a) functionally inactivated ywsC genes coding for a gene product involved in the formation of polyamino acids and having a nucleotide sequence which is at least 90% identical to the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO. 1, (b) functionally inactivated ywsC′ genes coding for a gene product involved in the formation of polyamino acids and having a nucleotide sequence which is at least 90% identical to the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO. 3, (c) functionally inactivated ywtA genes coding for a gene product involved in the formation of polyamino acids and having a nucleotide sequence which is at least 90% identical to the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO. 5, (d) functionally inactivated ywtB genes coding for a gene product involved in the formation of polyamino acids and having a nucleotide sequence which is at least 90% identical to the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO. 7, and (e) functionally enhanced Bacillus ywtD genes coding for a gene product involved in the degradation of polyamino acids and having a nucleotide sequence which is at least 90% identical to the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO. 9, wherein the ywsC, ywsC′, ywtA and ywtB genes are functionally inactivated by introducing an insertion, deletion or point mutation in said gene, and the ywtD gene is functionally enhanced by placing the ywtD gene under control of a heterologous promoter or by increasing its copy number, and wherein the isolated microorganism is able to form polyamino acids prior to functional inactivation of the ywsC, ywsC′, ywtA and ywtB genes and/or functional enhancement of the ywtD gene.