A lipase gene isolated from a chromosome DNA of Pseudomonas mendocian SD702; a variant lipase gene obtained by the variation of the above gene; and a variant lipase coded for by the above variant gene and having physical or chemical properties changed thereby. The invention gene serves to facilitate production and modification of lipase LP or a variant lipase thereof. The modification of lipase LP permits production of a variant lipase that has a new amino acid sequence and is more suitable to industrial and other application than the lipase LP, thus providing a lipase useful in the fields of detergent, food processing, papermaking and so forth.
