Fujisawa Pharmaceutical Company, Ltd.

Yuji Noguchi

Yoshimasa Saito

Michio Yamashita

Mineo Niwa

Yoshinori Ishii

Yoko Takata

Mitsutaka Matsuura

Koji Yoshikawa

Takao Fujimura

Chiyo Ichikawa

Takashi Shibata

Shinsuke Soeda

A gene encoding D-sorbitol dehydrogenase (SLDH); a process for producing SLDH by culturing host cells transformed by an expression vector having the above gene; and a process for processing L-sorbose or 2-keto-L-gulonic acid (2KLGA) by using the above culture. 2KLGA is an important intermediate in the production of L-ascorbic acid. Thus, a process for producing L-ascorbic acid from the 2KLGA obtained by the above process is also provided.

Sorbitol dehydrogenase, gene encoding the same and use thereof

A DNA derived from plasmid pF4, which contains a region involved in the control of autonomous replication in a bacterial cell belonging to the genus Gluconobactor, with or without a part of the polynucleotide region not essential for the autonomous replication therein, particularly, the same DNA comprising, as the region involved in the control of autonomous replication in the bacterial cell belonging to the genus Gluconobactor, a part or the entirety of the polynucleotide of nucleotide No. 2897-3969 region of Sequence Listing SEQ:ID No. 1. A plasmid vector containing this DNA, transformant transformed with this plasmid vector, and a method for producing a physiologically active substance comprising culturing this transformant. The full length nucleotide sequence of plasmid pF4 and the region containing DNA involved in the control of automonous replication in the bacterial cell belonging to the genus Gluconobactor were specified, whereby the region not essential for the automonous replication could be removed to provide a shortened pF4. The shortening of the region in the vector for autonomous replication increases the remaining region of the vector and allows incorporation of many structural genes into the vector. Consequently, the vector can have many functions.

Vector derivatives of gluconobacter plasmid pF4

Cephalosporin C acylase

Growing community of inventors

Aichi, Japan

Yuji Noguchi