• Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering:BBE
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.130-137
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• 2002

Microbial lactonohydrolases (intramolecular ester bond-hydrolyzing enzymes) with unique properties were found. The lactonohydrolase from Fusarium oxysporum catalyzes enantiose-lective hydrolysis of aldonate lactones and D-pantoyl lactone (D-PL). This enzyme is useful for the large-scale optical resolution of racemic PL. The Agrobacterium tumefaciens enzyme catalyzes asymmetric hydrolysis of PL, but the stereospecificity is opposite to that of the Fusarium enzyme. Dihydrocoumarin hydrolase (DHase) from Acinetobacter calcoaceticus is a bifunctional enzyme, which catalyzes not only hydrolysis of aromatic lactones but also bromination of monochlorodi-medon in the presence of H$_2$O$_2$and dihydrocoumarin. DHase also hydrolyzes several linear esters, and is useful for enantioselective hydrolysis of methyl DL-$\beta$-acetylthioisobutyrate and regioselective hydrolysis of methyl cetraxate.