Kaneka Corporation

Mitsubishi Kasei Corporation

Toru Nagasawa

Yoshihiko Yasohara

Shigeru Kawano

Noriyuki Ito

Yuuki Morimoto

Haruyuki Ohkishi

Toyokazu Yoshida

Mari Yasuda

Katsutoshi Sato

Kouichi Ishida

A method for efficiently producing an optically active amino compound useful as an intermediate for pharmaceutical preparations, agricultural chemicals, or the like, from a ketone compound is provided. Specifically, a polypeptide having high resistance to a water-soluble organic solvent and novel transaminase activity for generating (S)-1-benzyl-3-pyrrolidinone with high optical purity of 93% or more, a gene encoding the same, and a transformant expressing the gene at a high level are also provided herein.

Nucleic acid encoding a polypeptide having aminotransferase activity, vectors and host cells comprising the nucleic acid

6-Hydroxy nitrogen-containing 6-membered ring compounds of the following general formula (II): ##STR1## wherein R.sup.1 represents carboxy group, carbamoyl group, cyano group, formyl group, C.sub.1 -C.sub.5 hydroxyalkyl group, C.sub.2 -C.sub.6 alkoxycarbonyl group, carboxyvinyl group, carboxymethyl group or oxime group, R.sup.2 represents hydrogen atom or carboxy group, and A represents carbon atom or nitrogen atom, can be prepared by reacting a nitrogen-containing 6-membered ring compounds of the following general formula (I): ##STR2## wherein R.sup.1, R.sup.2 and A are as defined in the general formula (II) above, with a microorganism or physico-chemically treated microorganism in an aqueous medium. Efficiency of the above reaction can be raised by conducting the reaction in the presence of phenazine methosulfate.

Process for preparing 6-hydroxy nitrogen-containing 6-membered ring

Growing community of inventors

Nagoya, Japan

Toru Nagasawa