Abstract
Microorganisms that asymmetrically produce D-p-hydroxyphenylglycine (D-HPG) from DL-5-(p-hydroxyphenyl)hydantoin (DL-HPH), an intermediate in the chemical synthesis of DL-HPG, were screened from stock cultures and soil samples.
Of the 430 strains of bacteria, yeasts and actinomycetes obtained from our stock cultures, only two, Achromobacter delicatulus AJ-2446 and Achromobacter delicatulus AJ-2447, were capable of producing D-HPG from DL-HPH, but the yields were rather low. A bacterium with high productivity was isolated from a soil sample. It was classified as a bacterium belonging to the genus, Pseudomonas. In the presence of intact cells of Pseudomonas sp. AJ-11220 isolated from soil, which was selected as the best strain, D-HPG was produced from D-, L- and DL-HPH at a molar yield of more than 90%. This suggests that racemization and asymmetric hydrolysis occurred simultaneously in this reaction system.
