Processes Using L-Amidases

From a broad variety of L-a-amino acids, L-phenylalanine as well as L-homophe-nylalanine were successfully produced using the amidase technology. 

It should also be noted that at DSM this amidase process has been extended towards the synthesis of optically active a,a-disubstituted amino acids. For example, the antihypertensive drug L-methyl-dopa, l-10, has been produced successfully (Fig. 8) [14, 15]. 

As a biocatalyst that is capable of converting a,a-disubstituted amino acids efficiently, an aminopeptidase in the strain Mycobacterium neoaurum [ATCC 25795] 

In addition, at Ube an analogous process for the enantioselective synthesis of a-methyl phenylalanine has been developed based on an amidase from Pseudomonas fluorescens [IFO 3081] [14]. 

---