Process For Reacting A Carboxylic Acid Ester

Converting substituted carboxylic acid ester compounds (I) with a cell, comprises (a) contacting the cell with the carboxylic acid ester in an aqueous solution, where the cell is a recombinant cell in which the activity of a polypeptide comprising SEQ ID NO: 2 (a 256 amino acid sequence fully defined in the specification) or its variant compared to the wild type of the cell is reduced. Converting substituted carboxylic acid ester compounds of formula (R-A-COOR2) (I) with a cell, comprises (a) contacting the cell with the carboxylic acid ester in an aqueous solution, where the cell is a recombinant cell in which the activity of a polypeptide comprising SEQ ID NO: 2 (a 256 amino acid sequence fully defined in the specification) or its variant compared to the wild type of the cell is reduced. R1 : H, -CH 2OH, -CHO, -COOR3, -CH 2SH, -CH 2OR3, or -CH 2NH 2; R2 : alkyl, preferably methyl, ethyl or propyl; R3 : H or alkyl, preferably methyl, ethyl or propyl; and A : 4C-, preferably 8C-alkylene, -alkenylene, -arylene or -aralkylene (all optionally substituted). Independent claims are included for: (1) use of a knockout of a gene, as a part of genetic makeup of a recombinant cell, encoding for a polypeptide comprising SEQ ID NO: 2 or its variant, to increase the production of (I); (2) use of a recombinant cell in which the activity of a polypeptide comprising SEQ ID NO: 2 or its variant compared to the wild type of the cell is reduced, for the reaction of (I); (3) a cell, which expresses a recombinant alkane hydroxylase, where the activity of a polypeptide comprising SEQ ID NO: 2 or its variant compared to the wild type of the cell is reduced; and (4) a reaction mixture comprising the cell in aqueous solution and (I).