Patent ID: 8304216

Claim:
A method of producing an optically active alcohol, said method comprising the step of allowing a polypeptide or a transformant to act on a carbonyl group-containing compound, wherein the polypeptide is defined below under (a), (b), or (c): (a) a polypeptide comprising the amino acid sequence shown in the sequence listing under SEQ ID NO: 2; (b) a polypeptide comprising an amino acid sequence derived from the amino acid sequence shown in the sequence listing under SEQ ID NO: 2 by substitution, insertion, deletion and/or addition of one or no more than 20 amino acids, said polypeptide having an activity of asymmetrically reducing N-Boc-2-amino-3-cyclohexyl-3-oxopropionic acid ester represented by the formula (1): to form the corresponding (2R, 3R) —N-Boc-2-amino-3-cyclohexyl-3-hydroxypropionic acid ester represented by the formula (4): (wherein R is a substituted or unsubstituted alkyl group or aryl group); (c) a polypeptide comprising an amino acid sequence showing 85% or higher sequence homology to the amino acid sequence shown in the sequence listing under SEQ ID NO: 2, said polypeptide having an activity of asymmetrically reducing the N-Boc-2-amino-3-cyclohexyl-3-oxopropionic acid ester represented by the formula (1) to form the corresponding (2R, 3R) —N-Boc-2-amino-3-cyclohexyl-3-hydroxypropionic acid ester represented by the formula (4), and wherein the transformant is obtained by transforming host cells with a vector comprising a DNA coding for the polypeptide, or a DNA defined below under (a), (b), or (c): (a) a DNA comprising the base sequence shown in the sequence listing under SEQ ID NO: 1; (b) a DNA capable of hybridizing with a DNA having a base sequence complementary to the base sequence shown in the sequence listing under SEQ ID NO: 1 under stringent conditions, said DNA coding for a polypeptide having an activity of asymmetrically reducing an N-Boc-2-amino-3-cyclohexyl-3-oxopropionic acid ester represented by the formula (1) to form the corresponding (2R, 3R) —N-Boc -2-amino-3-cyclohexyl-3-hydroxypropionic acid ester represented by the formula (4), wherein the stringent condition is the condition where hybridization is carried out in an aqueous solution comprising 75 mM trisodium citrate, 750 mM sodium chloride, 0.5% sodium dodecyl sulfate, 0.1% bovine serum albumin, 0.1% polyvinylpyrrolidone and 0.1% Ficoll 400 at 65° C., followed by washing with an aqueous solution containing 15 mM trisodium citrate, 150 mM sodium chloride and 0.1% sodium dodecyl sulfate at 65° C.; (c) a DNA comprising a base sequence showing 85% or higher sequence homology to the base sequence shown in the sequence listing under SEQ ID NO: 1, said DNA coding for a polypeptide having an activity of asymmetrically reducing an N-Boc-2-amino-3-cyclohexyl-3-oxopropionic acid ester represented by the formula (1) to form the corresponding (2R, 3R)—N-Boc-2-amino-3-cyclohexyl-3-hydroxypropionic acid ester represented by the formula (4).