Abstract
SummaryHydroxylation of steroids has acquired special relevance for the pharmaceutical industries. Particularly, the 11β‐hydroxylation of steroids is a reaction of biotechnological importance currently carried out at industrial scale by the fungus Cochliobolus lunatus. In this work, we have identified the genes encoding the cytochrome CYP103168 and the reductase CPR64795 of C. lunatus responsible for the 11β‐hydroxylase activity in this fungus, which is the key step for the preparative synthesis of cortisol in industry. A recombinant Corynebacterium glutamicum strain harbouring a plasmid expressing both genes forming a synthetic bacterial operon was able to 11β‐hydroxylate several steroids as substrates. This is a new example to show that the industrial strain C. glutamicum can be used as a suitable chassis to perform steroid biotransformation expressing eukaryotic cytochromes.
Highlights
Microbial steroid transformation has been used for years as a powerful tool to generate novel steroidal drugs and key synthons of pharmaceutical interest (Donova and Egorova, 2012)
Fungal steroid hydroxylation is usually carried out by two-component systems consisting of a NAD(P)H-cytochrome P450 reductase (CPR) and a cytochrome P450 monooxygenase which are frequently attached to the membrane of the endoplasmic reticulum (Kristan and Rizner, 2012)
We propose here to use the bacterium Corynebacterium glutamicum as a host, because it been widely used for industrial purposes, and the publication of its complete genome, (Ikeda and Nakagawa, 2003; Kalinowski et al, 2003) has provided the basis for an enormous progress in the use of this microorganism for other biotechnological applications placing it as an ideal chassis for cell factories (De Lorenzo, 2015)
Summary
Microbial steroid transformation has been used for years as a powerful tool to generate novel steroidal drugs and key synthons of pharmaceutical interest (Donova and Egorova, 2012). Many of these microbial transformations are carried out by P450 cytochromes (CYP) (Bernhardt, 2006). Microbial Biotechnology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd and Society for Applied Microbiology
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
