E. coli JM109 pHBP461, a recombinant biocatalyst for the regioselective monohydroxylation of ortho-substituted phenols to their corresponding 3-substituted catechols

Abstract

An expression system for the 2-hydroxybiphenyl-3-monooxygenase gene ( hbpA) from Pseudomonas azelaica HBP1 was developed based on E. coli JM109 and the high copy vector pUCBM20. The system was used for the conversion of 2,2′-dihydroxybiphenyl to 2,2′,3-trihydroxybiphenyl on a preparative scale with a productivity of 0.06 g h −1 l −1. This system also allows the biocatalytic production of various 3-aryl-, 3-alkyl-, and 3-halo-substituted catechols.