Abstract
Poly(ε-l-lysine) (ε-PL) is a naturally occurring poly(amino acid) characterized by a unique structure linking ε-amino and carboxyl groups of l-lysine. Due to its various functions and its biodegradability and non-toxicity, the ε-PL polymer has attracted increasing attention in recent years. ε-PL is frequently found in various strains of Streptomyces sp. This review gives an up-to-date overview regarding the biosynthesis of ε-PL focussing mainly on results obtained from ten newly isolated producer strains, using the two-stage culture method of cell growth and ε-PL production cultures. The production of nearly monodispersed ε-PL is covered together with the development of ε-PL specific hydrolases and the release of synthesized ε-PL into the culture broth. From these results, coupled with the termination of polymerization through nucleophilic chain transfer, the biosynthetic mechanism of the polymer is discussed.
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Acknowledgments
We thank J. Hiraki and Y. Onji of Chisso (Tokyo, Japan) for kindly providing purified ε-PL samples. The authors also thank K. Makino and T. Kodaki of the Institute of Advanced Energy, Kyoto University, for allowing the use of the 600 MHz NMR spectrometer.
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Saimura, M., Takehara, M., Mizukami, S. et al. Biosynthesis of nearly monodispersed poly(ε-l-lysine) in Streptomyces species. Biotechnol Lett 30, 377–385 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10529-007-9563-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10529-007-9563-7