The present invention provides variants of precursor phenol oxidizing enzymes.
The precursor enzymes can be, for example, naturally-occurring or recombinant phenol
oxidizing enzymes. The variant enzymes, in general, are obtained by modification
of a precursor DNA sequence encoding the naturally-occurring or recombinant phenol
oxidizing enzyme to generate the substitution of one or more amino acids in the
encoded amino acid sequence. Variant enzymes are disclosed having properties which
differ from those of their respective precursor enzymes, e.g., altered pH optima
and/or phenol oxidizing activity and/or altered stability. The variant enzymes
of the present invention are especially useful in detergent formulations, for example,
to modify (bleach) the color associated with colored compounds.
