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Overview on the biotechnological production of l-DOPA

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Abstract

l-DOPA (3,4-dihydroxyphenyl-l-alanine) has been widely used as a drug for Parkinson’s disease caused by deficiency of the neurotransmitter dopamine. Since Monsanto developed the commercial process for l-DOPA synthesis for the first time, most of currently supplied l-DOPA has been produced by the asymmetric method, especially asymmetric hydrogenation. However, the asymmetric synthesis shows critical limitations such as a poor conversion rate and a low enantioselectivity. Accordingly, alternative biotechnological approaches have been researched for overcoming the shortcomings: microbial fermentation using microorganisms with tyrosinase, tyrosine phenol-lyase, or p-hydroxyphenylacetate 3-hydroxylase activity and enzymatic conversion by immobilized tyrosinase. Actually, Ajinomoto Co. Ltd commercialized Erwinia herbicola fermentation to produce l-DOPA from catechol. In addition, the electroenzymatic conversion system was recently introduced as a newly emerging scheme. In this review, we aim to not only overview the biotechnological l-DOPA production methods, but also to briefly compare and analyze their advantages and drawbacks. Furthermore, we suggest the future potential of biotechnological l-DOPA production as an industrial process.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Clean Energy Research Center, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul, 136-791, South Korea

    Kyoungseon Min

  2. Department of Biological and Chemical Engineering, Hongik University, Sejong, 339-701, South Korea

    Kyungmoon Park

  3. Department of Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Chonnam National University, Gwangju, 500-751, South Korea

    Don-Hee Park

  4. School of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Seoul National University, Seoul, 151-742, South Korea

    Young Je Yoo

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  1. Kyoungseon Min
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  2. Kyungmoon Park
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  3. Don-Hee Park
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  4. Young Je Yoo
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Correspondence to Young Je Yoo.

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Min, K., Park, K., Park, DH. et al. Overview on the biotechnological production of l-DOPA. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 99, 575–584 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-014-6215-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-014-6215-4

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