Screening was carried out to identify strains useful for the preparation of (R)-1-cyclopropylethylamine and (R)-sec-butylamine by resolution of the racemic amines with an (S)-specific transaminase. Several Bacillus megaterium strains from our culture collection as well as several soil isolates were found to have the desired activity for the resolution of the racemic amines to give the (R)-enantiomers. Using an extract of the best strain, Bacillus megaterium SC6394, the reaction was shown to be a trans-A C H T U N G T R E N N U N G amination requiring pyruvate as amino acceptor and pyridoxal phosphate as a cofactor. Initial batches of both amines were produced using whole cells of Bacillus megaterium SC6394. The transaminase was purified to homogeneity to obtain N-terminal as well as internal amino acid sequences. The sequences were used to design polymerase chain reaction (PCR) primers to enable cloning and expression of the trans-A C H T U N G T R E N N U N G aminase in E. coli SC16578. In contrast to the original B. megaterium process, pH control and aeration were not required for the resolution of sec-butyl-A C H T U N G T R E N N U N G amine and an excess of pyruvate was not consumed by the recombinant cells. The resolution of sec-butylamine (0.68 M) using whole cells of E. coli SC16578 was scaled up to give (R)-sec-butylamine· 1 = 2 H 2 SO 4 in 46.6% isolated yield with 99.2% ee. An alternative isolation procedure was also used to isolate (R)-secbutylamine as the free base.

The d-amino acid (R)-2-amino-3-(7-methyl-1 H-indazol-5-yl)propanoic acid (3) is a key intermediate needed for synthesis of a drug candidate compound. Enzymatic routes to 3 were explored. d-Amino acid 3 was prepared in 68% isolated yield with >99% ee from racemic amino acid 1 using l-amino acid deaminase from Proteus mirabilis expressed in Escherichia coli in combination with a commercially available d-transaminase using d-alanine as amino donor. The d-enantiomer was also prepared in 79% isolated yield with >99% ee from the corresponding keto acid 2 using the d-transaminase with racemic alanine as the amino donor. The rate and yield of this reaction could be accelerated by addition of lactate dehydrogenase (with NAD, formate and formate dehydrogenase to regenerate NADH) to remove the inhibitory pyruvate produced during the reaction. A d-transaminase was purified from a soil organism identified as Bacillus thuringiensis and cloned and expressed in E. coli. The d-transaminase was very effective for the preparation of 3 and gave a nearly complete conversion of 2 to 3 without the need for additional enzymes for pyruvate removal.

No abstract

A total of 39 microbes were screened for the ability to selectively N-demethylate (3R,5S,E)-7-(4-(4-fluorophenyl)-6-isopropyl-2-(methyl(1-methyl-1H-1,2,4-triazol-5-yl)aminopyrimidin-5-yl)-3,5-dihydroxy-hept-6-enoic acid (I), a potential drug for lowering blood cholesterol levels. Two Streptomyces species were found to carry out the desired N-demethylation. Bioconversion by Streptomyces griseus A.T.C.C. 13273 and product recovery were scaled up to the multi-gram level.