HEAT RESISTANT METHIONINE AMINOPEPTITASE AND ITS GENE

PURPOSE:To obtain the subject new heat resistant enzyme having a specific amino acid sequence and heat resistance, having a remained methionine group corresponding to an initiation codon at the amino terminus of a protein produced by gene recombinant technique and useful in the field of protein engineering, e.g. treatment of protein. CONSTITUTION:This is a new heat resistant methionine aminopeptitase useful in the field of gene technology, etc., having an amino acid sequence containing an amino acid sequence of the formula, preserving about >=95% of activity after the treatment at 75 deg.C for 60min, having a remained methionine group corresponding to an initiation codon at the amino terminus of a protein produced by gene recombinant technique, capable of giving a matured-type protein by selectively removing the methionine group at the amino terminus by treating its precursor protein. This enzyme is obtained by preparing a library from genomic DNAs isolated from Pyrococcus furiosus DSM 3638 by an ordinary method, selecting a gene by screening the library, combining the gene with a vector to prepare a recombinant plasmid, transducing the recombinant molecule into a host and making the gene to express.