Process for producing optically active 1,3-butanediol

Abstract: An optically active 1,3-butanediol can be produced by treating 4-hydroxy-2-butanone with a microorganism, which has been optionally treated, capable of asymmetrically reducing 4-hydroxy-2-butanone, and collecting optically active 1,3-butanediol.

Description: The present invention relates to a process for producing optically active 1,3-butanediol with a microorganism. Optically active 1,3-butanediol is an important starting material for various medicines such as antibiotics. Known processes for producing optically active 1,3-butanediol include (1) a process wherein a chemically synthesized mixture of 1,3-butanediol racemates is optically resolved with an optical resolving agent (cf. Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 191631/1986, (2) a process wherein it is produced from 4-hydroxy-2-butanone by asymmetric synthesis with a Raney nickel catalyst treated with an optically active compound [cf. Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 204187/1983 and Bull. Chem. Soc. Jpn., 53 , 1356 to 1360 (1980)] and (3) a process of asymmetrically reducing 4-hydroxy-2-butanone to yield R-1,3-butanediol using baker's yeast [cf.J.Biol. Chem 94, 1931, 361-366. However, the processes (1) and (2) have a defect that expensive optical resolving agent and catalyst must be used and, in addition, the product obtained by the process (2) has a low optical purity. The yield of the process of (3) is not satisfactory. Under these circumstances, it is demanded to establish a process for producing optically active 1,3-butanediol having a high optical purity in an economically advantageous and convenient manner. This object has been achieved with a process for producing optically active 1,3-butanediol by asymmetrically reducing 4-hydroxy-2-butanone into either (R)-1,3-butanediol or (S)-1,3-butanediol by means of a microorganism, which has been optionally treated and collecting the (R)-1,3-butanediol or (S)-1,3-butanediol thus formed wherein the microorganisms forming (R)-1,3-butanediol are selected from the genera Ambrosiozyma, Bacillus, Candida, Citrobacter, Corynebacterium, Hansenula, Issatchenkia, Kluyveromyces, Pichia, Protaminobacter, Pseudomonas, Rhodotorula, Selenotila, Schizosaccharomyces, Stephanoascus and Xanthomonas and wherein the microorganisms forming (S)-1,3-butanediol are selected from the genera Brevibacterium, Candida, Geotrichum, Klebsiella, Lodderomyces, Saccharomycopsis and Trichosporon. After intensive investigations made for the purpose of getting a microorganism usable for producing optically active 1,3-butanediol having a high optical purity by asymmetric reduction, the inventors have found that a microorganism selected from among those belonging to the genera Ambrosiozyma, Bacillus, Candida, Citrobacter, Corynebacterium, Hansenula, Issatchenkia, Kluyveromyces, Pichia, Protaminobacter, Pseudomonas, Rhodotorula, Selenotila, Schizosaccharomyces, Stephanoascus and Xanthomonas is capable of asymmetrically reducing 4-hydroxy-2-butanone into (R)-1,3-butanediol, and that a microorganism selected from among those belonging to the genera Brevibacterium, Candida, Geotrichum, Klebsiella, Lodderomyces, Saccharomycopsis and Trichosporon is capable of asymmetrically reducing 4-hydroxy-2-butanone into (S)-1,3-butanediol. The microorganism usable in the present invention may be any of those belonging to the genus Ambrosiozyma, Bacillus, Candida, Citrobacter, Corynebacterium, Hansenula, Issatchenkia, Kluyveromyces, Pichia, Protaminobacter, Pseudomonas, Rhodotorula, Selenotila, Schizosaccharomyces, Stephanoascus or Xanthomonas capable of asymmetrically reducing 4-hydroxy-2-butanone into (R)-1,3-butanediol or any of those belonging to the genus Brevibacterium, Candida, Geotrichum, Klebsiella, Saccharomycopsis or Trichosporon capable of asymmetrically reducing 4-hydroxy-2-butanone into (S)-1,3-butanediol. The microorganisms capable of forming (R)-1,3-butanediol from 4-hydroxy-2-butanone include Ambrosiozyma cicatricosa IFO 1846, Bacillus sereus AHU 1355, Bacillus subtilis IFO 3007, Candida cariosilignicola DSM 2148, Candida arborea IAM 4147, Candida kefyr (Beijerinck) DSM 70073, Candida krusei (Castellani) DSM 70075, Candida guilliermondii IAM 4412, Candida succiphila DSM 2149, Candida utilis IFO 0639, Candida utilis IFO 0626, Candida utilis IAM 4277, Citrobacter freundii AHU 1534, Corynebacterium michiganense IFO 13762, Hansenula polymorpha ATCC 26012, Hansenula minuta DSM 70274, Hansenula subpelliculosa IFO 0808, Hansenula fabianii IFO 1254, Hansenula wickerhamii DSM 70280, Hansenula wingei DSM 10281, Issatchenkia scutulata var. scutulata IFO 10070, Issatchenkia scutulata var. scutulata IFO 10069, Kluyveromyces drosophilarum IFO 1012, Kluyveromyces lactis IFO 1267, Kluyveromyces lactis IFO 1903, Pichia cellobiosa DSM 2147, Pichia heedii IFO 10019, Pichia heedii IFO 10020, Pichia lindnerii DSM 70718, Pichia opuntiae var. thermotolerans IFO 10025, Pichia pastoris DSM 70382, Pichia trehalophia DSM 70391, Protaminobacter ruber IAM 1081, Pseudomonas diminuta IFO 12697, Pseudomonas fluorescens IFO 3081, Pseudomonas putida IFO 3738, Rhodotorula rubra IFO 0383, Selenotila peltata DSM 70579, Schizosaccharomyces pombe IFO 0363, Stephanoascus ciferrii IFO 1854 and Xanthomona maltophilia IFO 12690. The microorganisms capable of forming (S)-1,3-butanediol from 4-hydroxy-butanone include Brevibacterium iodinum IFO 3558, Candida rugosa IFO 1664, Candida parapsilosis IFO 0640, Candida parapsilosis IFO 0708, Candida parapsilosis IFO 1396, Geotrichum candidum IFO 4601, Geotrichum candidum IFO 5767, Geotrichum candidum IFO 5368, Geotrichum rectangulatum JCM 1750, Geotrichum klebanoii JCM 2171, Geotrichum fermentans JCM 2467, Geotrichum capitatum JCM 3908, Geotrichum eriense JCM 3912, Klebsiella pneumoniae IFO 12019, Lodderomyces elongisporus IFO 1676, Saccharomycopsis lipolytica ITO 1550, Trichosporon cutaneum IFO 1198 and Trichosporon capitatum IFO 0743. Each strain may be either a wild type, a variant or a recombinant obtained by genetic engineering such as cell fusion or gene recombination. Microorganisms having IFO numbers assigned thereto are described in the List of Cultures, 8th ed., vol. 1 (1988) published by the Institute for Fermentation, Osaka (IFO) and available therefrom. Those having AHU numbers are described in the Catalogue of Cultures, 4th ed. (1987) published by Japan Federation of Culture Collection (JFCC) and available from the Faculty of Agriculture, Hokkaido University. Those having JCM numbers are described in the Catalogue of Strains, 3rd ed. (1986) published by Japan Collection of Microorganisms, RIKEN and available therefrom. Those having ATCC numbers are described in the Catalogue of Bacteria Phages rDNA Vectors, 16th ed. (1985) and the Catalogue of Fungi/Yeast, 17th ed. (1987) published by American Type Culture Collection (ATCC) and available therefrom. Those having DSM numbers are described in the Catalog of Strains (1983) published by Deutsche Sammlung von Mikroorganismen (DSM) and available therefrom. Those having IAM numbers are available from the Institute of Applied Microbiology, the University of Tokyo. The culture medium used in the present invention is not particularly limited so far as the microorganism can grow in or on it. The carbon source may be any of carbon nutrients for growing the microorganism. The carbon sources include, for example, saccharides such as glucose, fructose, sucrose and dextrin; alcohols such as sorbitol, ethanol and glycerol; organic acids such as fumaric, citric, acetic and propionic acids and salts thereof; hydrocarbons such as paraffin; and mixtures of them. The nitrogen sources include inorganic and organic nitrogenous compounds such as ammonium salts of inorganic acids, e.g. ammonium chloride, ammonium sulfate and ammonium phosphate; ammonium salts of organic acids, e.g. ammonium fumarate and ammonium citrate; meat extract; yeast extract; corn steep liquor; casein hydrolyzate; urea as well as mixtures thereof. Furthermore various nutritional sources commonly used in the culture of microorganisms, such as inorganic salts, trace metal salts and vitamins, may be appropriately mixed and used in the present invention. In addition, materials effective in promoting the growth of the microorganism, in elevating the productivity of the target compound of the present invention or in maintaining the pH value of the medium on the desired level may be added, if required. The pH value of the medium may be adjusted to 3.0 to 9.5, preferably 4 to 8. The culture may be carried out at a temperature of 20 to 45°C, preferably 25 to 37°C, either aerobically or anaerobically under conditions suitable for the growth of the microorganism for 5 to 120 hours, preferably about 12 to 72 hours. The reduction may be effected by using the culture medium as such. Alternately, the cells may be separated by, for example, centrifugation, optionally washed and resuspended in a buffer solution or water. Then 4-hydroxy-2-butanone may be added to the suspension thus obtained. In this reaction, it is sometimes preferable to add a carbon source such as glucose or sucrose to the medium to thereby supply energy. The cells may be used as such in the form of viable cells. Alternately, they may be ground, treated with acetone or lyophilized. These cells, which have been optionally treated, may be immobilized prior to the use by a conventional method such as the polyacrylamide gel, sulfur-containing polysaccharide gel (such as carrageenan gel), alginic acid gel or agar gel method. Furthermore, an enzyme obtained from said treated cells by combining known methods may be used in the present invention. The 4-hydroxy-2-butanone may be added either at once at the initiation of the reaction or in portions in the course of the reaction either as such, dissolved in water or an inert organic solvent or dispersed in, for example, a surfactant. The reaction may be conducted at a pH value of 3 to 9, preferably 5 to 8, at 10 to 60°C, preferably 20 to 40°C for 1 to 120 hours with or without stirring. The concentration of the substrate may preferably range from about 0.1 to 10%, though it is not restricted thereby. The optically active 1,3-butanediol thus formed may be readily collected by extracting the reaction mixture, from which the cells may be optionally separated, with an organic solvent and purifying the extract by, for example, distillation or column chromatography. [Examples] The following Examples will further illustrate the present invention, which by no means limit the present invention. In the following Examples, 1,3-butanediol in the reaction liquid mixture was easily determined according to gas chromatography [column: Thermon 3000, (2m), 130°C] and the optical purity was determined by acetylating optically active 1,3-butanediol obtained by the reaction with acetyl chloride by an ordinary method and subjecting it to high performance liquid chromatography with an optical resolution column [column: Chiral cel OB (mfd. by Daicel Chemical Industries, Ltd.), solvent: n-hexane/2-propanol=19:1, wavelength: 220 mm, flow rate: 0.5 mℓ/min) (retention time: 15 min for (S)-enantiomer and 19.3 min for (R)-enantiomer]. Example 1 100 mℓ of a YM medium comprising 0.3% of yeast extract, 0.3% of malt extract, 0.5% of peptone and 2% of glucose and having a pH of 6.0 in the case of yeast strains or 100 mℓ of a YMP medium comprising 2% of glucose, 0.5% of yeast extract, 0.3% of peptone, 0.3% of meat extract, 0.2% of (NH 4 ) 2 HPO 4 and 0.1% of KH 2 PO 4 and having a in the case of bacterial strains was put in a 500-mℓ Sakaguchi flask. After sterilization followed by the inoculation with a microorganism shown in Table 2, reciprocal shaking culture was conducted at 30°C for 48 h. Cells were separated by centrifugation and washed once with physiological saline to give viable cells. 50 mℓ of distilled water was put in a 500-mℓ Sakaguchi flask and the viable cells obtained above was suspended therein. 5 g of glucose was added to the suspension. After the reciprocal shaking at 30°C for 10 min, 0.5 g of 4-hydroxy-2-butanone was added thereto and the reaction was conducted under the reciprocal shaking at 30°C for 20 h. After the completion of the reaction, the cells were removed by centrifugation and the supernatant liquid thus obtained was saturated with sodium chloride. After extraction with 50 mℓ of ethyl acetate, the ethyl acetate layer was analyzed according to gas chromatography to determine the reaction yield. Then the ethyl acetate layer was dehydrated with anhydrous Glauber's salt and the solvent was removed to give a syrup. The syrup was acetylated with acetyl chloride and dissolved in a solvent. The absolute configuration and optical purity of the product were determined according to high performance liquid chromatography. The results are shown in Table 2. Example 2 Candida utilis IAM 4277 was put in a 10-ℓ jar fermenter containing 5 ℓ of a YM medium and cultured under stirring at 250 r.p.m. at 30°C for 48 h. The flow rate was 0.5 v.v.m. After the completion of the culture, the cells were collected by filtration, washed with 5 ℓ of water and suspended in 500 mℓ of water. 5 g of 4-hydroxy-2-butanone and 50 g of glucose were added to the suspension and the mixture was stirred at 30°C for 24 h to conduct the reaction. After the completion of the reaction, the cells were removed by centrifugation. The obtained supernatant liquid was saturated with sodium chloride and extracted with 250 mℓ of ethyl acetate twice. The ethyl acetate layer was analyzed according to gas chromatography to reveal that the reaction yield was 85%. Then the ethyl acetate layer was dehydrated with anhydrous Glauber's salt. After removing the solvent under reduced pressure, 4.0 g of a syrup was obtained. The syrup was distilled to give colorless transparent (R)-1,3-butanediol. The absolute configuration and optical purity of the obtained 1,3-butanediol determined by HPLC were that of the (R)-enantiomer and 94% e.e., respectively. Example 3 Kluyveromyces lactis IFO 1267 was cultured and the reaction and extraction were conducted in the same manner as that of Example 2 to give 4.5 g of a syrup. The reaction yield was 95%, and the absolute configuration and optical purity of the obtained 1,3-butanediol were that of the (R)-enantiomer and 92% e.e., respectively. Example 4 Candida parapsilosis IFO 1396 was cultured and the reaction and extraction were conducted in the same manner as that of Example 2 to give 3.5 g of a syrup. The reaction yield was 64%, and the absolute configuration and optical purity of the obtained 1,3-butanediol were that of the (S)-enantiomer and 98% e.e., respectively. Example 5 Geotrichum candidam IFO 4601 was cultured and the reaction and extraction were conducted in the same manner as that of Example 2 to give 3.2 g cf a syrup. The reaction yield was 78% and the absolute configuration and optical purity of the obtained 1,3-butanediol were that of the (S)-enantiomer and 88% e.e., respectively.

Claims: A process for producing optically active 1,3-butanediol by asymmetrically reducing 4-hydroxy-2-butanone into either (R)-1,3-butanediol or (S)-1,3-butanediol by means of a microorganism, which has been optionally treated and collecting the (R)-1,3-butanediol or (S)-1,3-butanediol thus formed wherein the microorganisms forming (R)-1,3-butanediol are selected from the genera Ambrosiozyma, Bacillus, Candida, Citrobacter, Corynebacterium, Hansenula, Issatchenkia, Kluyveromyces, Pichia, Protaminobacter, Pseudomonas, Rhodotorula, Selenotila, Schizosaccharomyces, Stephanoascus and Xanthomonas and wherein the microorganisms forming (S)-1,3-butanediol are selected from the genera Brevibacterium, Candida, Geotrichum, Klebsiella, Lodderomyces, Saccharomycopsis and Trichosporon.

Inventors: AKINOBU MATSUYAMA, TERUYUKI NIKAIDO, YOSHINORI KOBAYASHI, AKINOBU, MATSUYAMA, TERUYUKI, NIKAIDO, YOSHINORI, KOBAYASHI
Applicants: DAICEL CHEM, DAICEL CHEMICAL INDUSTRIES, LTD.
Application year: 1989
Main classification: C12P7
IPC codes: C12P7