Sumitomo Chemical Company, Limited

Yuko Kobayashi

Yoshiki Takashima

Ayumu Inoue

Kae Kishimoto

Satoshi Mitsuda

Eiji Nitta

Ryohei Komaki

Esterase genes and uses of the same

A method for producing from one of the optical isomers (optical isomer I) of an amino acid represented by Formula (1):R&mdash;CH(NH )&mdash;COOH (1), wherein R is defined in the specification, the other of the optical isomers (optical isomer II), said method comprising reacting a biological material which has an ability of converting said one of the optical isomers (optical isomer I) to said the other of the optical isomers (optical isomer II), the isomerism being on the basis of an assymetric carbon atom to which both of an amino group and a carboxyl group are bound and said ability being not inhibited seriously by an amino acid transferase inhibitor &bgr;-chloro-D-alanine, &bgr;-chloro-L-alanine or gabaculine, with said one of the optical isomers (optical isomer I).

Methods for producing optically active amino acids

Process for producing carboxylic acid isomer using Nocardia diaphanozonaria or Saccharopolyspora hirsuta

There is provided a method for improving optical purity of an amine compound of the formula I: ##STR1## wherein R.sup.1 indicates a phenyl group which may be substituted or an aralkyl group having 7 to 10 carbon atoms which may be substituted, and R.sup.2 indicates an alkyl group having 1 to 6 carbon atoms, which is characterized by contacting a cutlture of a microorganism belonging to Arthrobacter having an ability to preferentially metabolize one optical isomer based on an asymmetric carbon atom to which an amino group bonds in the amine compound of the formula I or a treated product thereof with the amine compound of the formula I.

Method for improving optical purity of an amine compound

Growing community of inventors

Toyonaka, Japan

Yuko Kobayashi