An objective of the present invention is to provide a method of producing hydroxylated heterocyclic compounds and hydroxylated aromatic carboxylic acids by bioengineering technique, and modified enzymes which can be used for this method. A method of producing hydroxylated heterocyclic compounds or hydroxylated aromatic carboxylic acids comprises reacting an aromatic ring dioxygenase with heterocyclic compounds or aromatic carboxylic acids to hydroxylate these compounds. An enzyme according to the present invention is an aromatic ring dioxygenase comprising an &agr;-subunit consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 2, which is modified according to the &agr;-subunit of the biphenyl dioxygenase derived from the strain
Burkholderia cepacia
LB400, a &bgr;-subunit consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 4, and a ferredoxin consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 6, and a ferredoxin reductase consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 8.
本发明的目的是提供一种通过
生物工程技术生产羟基化
杂环化合物和羟基化芳香族
羧酸的方法,以及可用于该方法的改良酶。生产羟基化
杂环化合物或羟基化芳香族
羧酸的方法包括使芳香环二加氧酶与
杂环化合物或芳香族
羧酸反应,使这些化合物羟基化。根据本发明的一种酶是一种芳香环二加氧酶,它包括一个由
SEQ ID NO: 2 的
氨基酸序列组成的&agr;-亚基,它是根据从菌株中得到的
联苯二加氧酶的&agr;-亚基修饰的
伯克霍尔德氏菌
LB400,由
SEQ ID NO: 4 的
氨基酸序列组成的&bgr;-亚基,由
SEQ ID NO: 6 的
氨基酸序列组成的
铁毒素,以及由
SEQ ID NO: 8 的
氨基酸序列组成的
铁毒素还原酶。