Hydrolysis ofl-α-Amino-ε-caprolactam by Yeasts

Abstract

Cells of Cryptococcus laurentii, which had been isolated from soil as microorganisms utilizing and hydrolyzing l-aminolactam,^** catalyzed the asymmetrical and quantitative hydrolysis reaction of dl-aminolactam, used as a 10% aqueous solution at pH 9.0, producing l-lysine. A cell-free extract of the yeast cells was fractionated by ammonium sulfate and the active fraction was also used for the hydrolysis of l-aminolactam under various conditions.