The lipase gene from Staphylococcus hyicus subsp. hyicus was cloned in Staphylococcus carnosus and Escherichia coli. In both host organisms the lipase gene is expressed and the enzyme is released to the medium. The cloned DNA insert is 2.5 kb in length and DNA sequencing has revealed the location of the gene, the ribosomal binding site and the presence of a typical signal sequence. The open reading frame comprises 1923 nucleotides and gives a preprotein of 641 amino acids with a predicted Mr of 71.382. At the 3' end of the structural gene there are three consecutive stop codons and there is also a transcriptional termination signal.