The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Oct. 15, 2002
Filed:
Jan. 31, 2000
Roche Vitamins, Inc., Parsippany, NJ (US);
Abstract
A levodione reductase having the following physical properties is provided: molecular weight: from about 142,000 to about 155,000±10,000 (consisting of four homologous subunits having a molecular weight of 36,000±5,000); co-factor: nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (AND/NADH); substrate specificity: active on levodione; optimum temperature: about 15° C. to about 20° C. at pH 7.0; optimum pH: 7.5; and activator: K , Cs , Rb , Na and NH . The levodione reductase according to the present invention produces actinol, an important intermediate for the production of zeaxanthin, from levodione. This enzyme may be produced from a microorganism belonging to the genus Corynebacterium, preferably the microorganism AKU 611 (FERM BP-6448) or a functional equivalent, subculture, mutant or variant thereof. Also provided is a process for producing the levodione reductase that includes cultivating a microorganism of the genus Corynebacterium in an aqueous medium under aerobic conditions, disrupting the cells of the microorganism and isolating and purifying the levodione reductase from the cell-free extract. A process for producing actinol from levodione is also provided that includes contacting levodione with levodione reductase in the presence of the reduced form of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide or a cell-free extract of the microorganism, and then isolating the resulting actinol from the reaction mixture.