Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Biochemistry 2001-05-01

Microbial resolution of 2-hydroxy-3-nitropropionic acid for synthesis of optically active isoserine.

Y Yasohara, J Hasegawa

Index: Biosci. Biotechnol. Biochem. 65(5) , 1258-60, (2001)

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Abstract

The biocatalytic stereoselective hydrolysis of 2-hydroxy-3-nitropropionic acid esters was studied. Forty enzymes and three hundred microorganism strains were examined for their ability to hydrolyze ethyl 2-hydroxy-3-nitropropionic acid. Nocardia globerula IFO13150 gave n-butyl (R)-2-hydroxy-3-nitropropionate with a 92% enantiomeric excess (ee) and the corresponding carboxylic acid with a 92%ee, which was easily converted to (S)-isoserine, a useful beta-amino acid.