Stereospecific Hydroxylation

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This patent describes a biotechnological method for the efficient and stereospecific hydroxylation of cyclic alpha-amino-S-carboxylic acid derivatives (such as ectoine) to produce trans-configured hydroxylated products (e.g., hydroxyectoine). The process uses genetically engineered or naturally occurring microorganisms equipped with specific transport and hydroxylase systems, allowing substrate uptake, enzymatic transformation within the cell, and release of the hydroxylated product into the production medium for extraction.

Use CasesContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

• Commercial production of hydroxyectoine and related hydroxylated amino acid derivatives for use in cosmetics (as cell-protective active ingredients).
• Synthesis of key intermediates for pharmaceuticals, including chiral building blocks for active drugs.
• Manufacture of compatible solutes and specialty chemicals that aid in cell protection and stabilization (biotechnology, agriculture).
• Production of novel hydroxy-amino acids or derivatives used in food additives or supplements.
• Development of biodegradable biopolymers or coatings with enhanced biocompatibility, suitable for medical devices or implants.

BenefitsContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

• Highly stereospecific modification, providing products with defined and desirable chemical configurations (trans-hydroxylation).
• Use of whole-cell biocatalysts enables efficient co-factor regeneration, continuous operation, and cost-effective processing at scale.
• Broad substrate range due to flexible transporter and hydroxylase systems—multiple starting materials can be processed.
• Ability to accumulate the hydroxylated product in the production medium simplifies downstream recovery and purification.
• Enables access to novel hydroxylated compounds that are difficult or uneconomical to synthesize by chemical methods.

Technical Classifications (CPCs)

Inventors & Applicants

Patent Abstract

The invention relates to a method for the stereo-specific hydroxylation of a-amino-S-carboxylic acid or a-amino-R-sulfonic acid derivatives to form a-amino-ß-hydroxy-S-carboxylic acid or a-amino-ß-hydroxy-R-sulfonic acid compounds, wherein hydroxyl and acid groups are trans-configured, using microorganisms having a hydroxylase activity in a production medium, wherein the S-carboxylic acid or R-sulfonic acid derivatives are added to the production medium, and are hydroxylated in the microorganism in the presence of oxygen and a co-substrate using osmotically activated transport systems of the microorganism, and are subsequently actively or passively released from the microorganism in order to be extracted from the production medium.