The invention provides methods to increase the production of an amino acid from
Corynebacterium species by way of the amplification of amino acid biosynthetic
pathway genes in a host cell chromosome. In a preferred embodiment, the invention
provides methods to increase the production of L-lysine in Corynebacterium glutamicum
by way of the amplification of L-lysine biosynthetic pathway genes in a host
cell chromosome. The invention also provides novel processes for the production
of an amino acid by way of the amplification of amino acid biosynthetic pathway
genes in a host cell chromosome and/or by increasing promoter strength. In a preferred
embodiment, the invention provides processes to increase the production of L-lysine
in Corynebacterium glutamicum by way of the amplification of L-lysine biosynthetic
pathway genes in a host cell chromosome. The invention also provides novel isolated
nucleic acid molecules for L-lysine biosynthetic pathway genes of Corynebacterium
glutamicum such as a naturally occurring, feedback-sensitive form of aspartokinase
(ask) resulting from a threonine to isoleucine mutation at amino acid residue 380
in the ask gene of ATCC 21529, aspartate-semialdehyde dehydrogenase (asd),
dihydrodipicolinate synthase (dapA), dihydrodipicolinate reductase (dapB), diaminopimelate
dehydrogenase (ddh), and diaminopimelate decarboxylase (lysA).
