A gene coding for mannanase (manA) from Bacillus subtilis was introduced into a shuttle vector pGK12 between Escherichia coli, B. subtilis and Lactobacillus paracasei. As a result of transferring the resultant plas-mid, designated pGK12M3, into three different strains, the manA gene was found to be expressed in L. paracasei as well as in B. subtilis and E. coli. In a 4 L fermentor culture, the production of mannanase by recombinant L. paracasei (pGK12M3) reached a maximum level of 5.4 units/ml in an MRS medium with a fixed pH 6.5. Based on the zymogram of mannanase, it is assumed that mannanase produced by recombinant L. paracasei is not maintained stably with proteolytic degradation. The optimal temperature and thermostability of mannanase produced by recombinant L. paracasei were also found to be different from those of enzymes produced by B. subtilis.