Identification of catalytically important residues of the carotenoid 1,2-hydratases from Rubrivivax gelatinosus and Thiocapsa roseopersicina

Carotenoid 1,2-hydratases (CrtC) catalyze the selective addition of water to an isolated carbon–carbon double bond. Although their involvement in the carotenoid biosynthetic pathway is well understood, little is known about the mechanism by which these hydratases transform carotenoids such as lycopene into the corresponding hydroxyl compounds....

Enantioselective Michael Addition of Water

The enantioselective Michael addition using water as both nucleophile and solvent has to date proved beyond the ability of synthetic chemists. Herein, the direct, enantioselective Michael addition of water in water to prepare important ?-hydroxy carbonyl compounds using whole cells of Rhodococcus strains is described. Good yields and excellent...

Draft genome sequence of Rhodococcus rhodochrous strain ATCC 17895

Rhodococcus rhodochrous ATCC 17895 possesses an array of mono- and dioxygenases, as well as hydratases, which makes it an interesting organism for biocatalysis. R. rhodochrous is a Gram-positive aerobic bacterium with a rod-like morphology. Here we describe the features of this organism, together with the complete genome sequence and annotation....

Biochemical characterization of the carotenoid 1,2-hydratases (CrtC) from Rubrivivax gelatinosus and Thiocapsa roseopersicina

Two carotenoid 1,2-hydratase (CrtC) genes from the photosynthetic bacteria Rubrivivax gelatinosus and Thiocapsa roseopersicina were cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli in an active form and purified by affinity chromatography. The biochemical properties of the recombinant enzymes and their substrate specificities were studied. The purified...