Polypeptides having tyrosinase activity and polynucleotides encoding same

An isolated polypeptide having tyrosinase activity, selected from the group consisting of:

• (a) a polypeptide having an amino acid sequence which has at least 80% identity with (i) SEQ ID NO:
• 2, or (ii) amino acids 34 to 392 thereof;
• (b) a polypeptide which is encoded by a polynucleotide which is at least 80% identical to (i) SEQ ID NO:1, (ii) nucleotides 100 to 1176 thereof, or (iii) the tyrosinase encoding DNA sequence obtainable from the plasmid in E. coli DSM 19506;
• (c) a polypeptide which is encoded by a nucleotide sequence which hybridizes under at least low stringency conditions with the complementary strand of (i) SEQ ID NO:
• 1, or (ii) nucleotides 100 to 1176 thereof;
• and
• (d) a fragment of a polypeptide of (a), (b) or (c) that has tyrosinase activity.

A method for producing a polypeptide having tyrosinase activity, comprising:

• (a) providing an isolated polypeptide or a composition comprising an isolated polypeptide;
• and
• (b) processing the polypeptide with an exogenous protease;
• wherein the processing of the polypeptide with the protease increases the tyrosinase activity of the polypeptide.