| abstract |
The invention relates to a thermophilic protein with esterase activity. Said protein, of the Thermus thermophilus organism, is expressed in recombinant yeasts and bacteria, in particular E.coli, K.lactis and S.cerevisiae. The esterase is expressed in fusion protein form with a signal sequence that enables secretion to the culture medium and, in addition, is operably linked to an inducible promoter. The recombinant strains are advantageous in that: (i) the cultivation thereof is much easier than that of the thermophilic organism that produces the enzyme, and (ii) they can be used to obtain a larger number of enzyme units per litre of culture than the original thermophilic strains. |