Patent ID: 6946270

Claim:
A process for producing a compound (II-a) or a compound (II-b) wherein a microorganism having an activity of producing compound (II-a) or a compound (II-b) from a compound (I-a) or a compound (I-b), selected from the group consisting of those belonging to the genus Mycobacterium, Corynebacterium, Brevibacterium, Rhodococcus, Gordonia, Arthrobacter, Micrococcus, Cellulomonas and Sphingomonas , a culture of said microorganism, or a treated product of said culture used as an enzyme source, the process comprising: allowing the compound (I-a) or the compound (I-b) to exist in an aqueous medium; allowing the compound (II-a) or the compound (II-b) to be produced and accumulated to said aqueous medium; and collecting the compound (II-a) or the compound (II-b) from said aqueous medium, and wherein the compound (I-a) is a compound represented by the formula (I-a): wherein R 1 represents a hydrogen atom, a substituted or unsubstituted alkyl, or an alkali metal, and R 2 represents a substituted or unsubstituted alkyl, or a substituted or unsubstituted aryl; the compound (I-b) is a lactone form of compound (I-a) represented by the formula (I-b): wherein R 2 has the same definition as the above; the compound (II-a) is a compound represented by the formula (II-a): wherein R 1 and R 2 have the same definitions as the above; and the compound (II-b) is a lactone form of compound (II-a) represented by the formula (II-b): wherein R 2 has the same definition as the above; and wherein the microorganism is one selected from Mycobacterium phlei, Mycobacterium smegmatis, Mycobacterium thermoresistibile, Mycobacterium neoaurum, Mycobacterium parafortuitum, Mycobacterium gilvum, Rhodococcus globerulus, Rhodococcus equi, Rhodococcus erythropolis, Rhodococcus rhodochrous, Rhodococcus rhodnii, Rhodococcus ruber, Rhodococcus coprophilus, Rhodococcus fascians, Gordonia amarae, Gordonia bronchialis, Gordonia aichiensis, Gordonia terrae, Gordonia rubropertinctus, Gordonia sputi, Corynebacterium glutamicum, Corynebacterium mycetoides, Corynebacterium variabilis, Corynebacterium ammoniagenes, Arthrobacter crystallopoietes, Arthrobacter duodecadis, Arthrobacter ramosus, Arthrobacter sulfureus, Arthrobacter aurescens, Arthrobacter citreus, Arthrobacter globiformis, Brevibacterium linens, Brevibacterium iodinum, Micrococcus luteus, Micrococcus roseus, Cellulomonas cellulans, Cellulomonas cartae, Sphingomonas paucimobilis, Sphingomonas adhaesiva , and Sphingomonas terrae.