Cloning and Expression of Pseudomonas putida Esterase Gene in Escherichia coli and Its Use in Enzymatic Production of D-[beta]-Acetylthioisobutyric Acid

The esterase catalyzes the stereoselective hydrolysis of methyl DL-β-acetylthioisobutyrate (DL-ester) to give D-β-acetylthioisobutyric acid (DAT). To use the enzyme for DAT production, the esterasegene of Pseudomonas putida was cloned and expressed in E. coli. The recombinant E. coli containing the esterase gene produced a large amount of the enzyme in an active form. This strain could be used for the asymmetric synthesis of DAT.