L-glutamic acid-producing bacterium and method for producing L-glutamic acid

Abstract

L-Glutamic acid is produced by culturing in a liquid culture medium a microorganism belonging to the genus Enterobacter or Serratia and having an ability to produce L-glutamic acid, which increases in an activity of enzyme catalyzing a reaction for L-glutamic acid biosynthesis, or which decreases in or is deficient in an activity of an enzyme catalyzing a reaction branching from a pathway for L-glutamic acid biosynthesis and producing a compound other than L-glutamic acid, and collecting produced L-glutamic acid from the culture medium.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A microorganism belonging to the genus  Enterobacter  or  Serratia  and having an ability to produce L-glutamic acid and at least one of the following properties: 
 (a) the microorganism increases in an activity of an enzyme catalyzing a reaction for the L-glutamic acid biosynthesis; and    (b) the microorganism decreases in or is deficient in an activity of an enzyme catalyzing a reaction branching from a pathway for L-glutamic acid biosynthesis and producing a compound other than L-glutamic acid.    
     
     
         2 . A microorganism according to    claim 1    wherein the enzyme catalyzing the reaction for the L-glutamic acid biosynthesis is at least one selected from the group consisting of citrate synthase, phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase, and glutamate dehydrogenase.  
     
     
         3 . A microorganism according to    claim 2    wherein the enzyme catalyzing the reaction for the L-glutamic acid biosynthesis includes all of citrate synthase, phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase, and glutamate dehydrogenase.  
     
     
         4 . A microorganism according to any one of    claims 1    to    3    wherein the enzyme catalyzing the reaction branching from the pathway for L-glutamic acid biosynthesis and producing the compound other than L-glutamic acid is α-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase.  
     
     
         5 . A microorganism according to any one of    claims 1    to    4    which is  Enterobacter agglomerans  or  Serratia liquefacience.    
     
     
         6 . A method for producing L-glutamic acid which comprises culturing the microorganism as defined in any one of    claims 1    to    5    in a liquid culture medium to produce and accumulate L-glutamic acid in the culture medium, and collecting the L-glutamic acid from the culture medium.