Economical Soy Isoflavone Production

描述（由申请人提供）：近年来，大豆异黄酮的商业应用显著增长。异黄酮用于健康食品和营养补充剂。最近，他们正在研究作为抗氧化剂，保护皮肤免受紫外线损伤时，口服或局部使用。更重要的是，马诺酮及其衍生物有可能作为药物用于对抗某些癌症，心脏病和骨质疏松症。Fermalogic确定了一种方法，用于分离作为红多孢菌红霉素发酵副产物的白藜芦酮，但为了在商业上取得成功，必须解决发酵过程中白藜芦酮降解的问题。在该项目的I期中，鉴定了β-内酰胺降解途径的第一种代谢产物。在第二阶段，我们希望找到导致这种降解的基因，并将其重新编码，这样就可以将异黄酮的生产水平提高到商业上有用的水平。此外，将研究其他细菌发酵以生产新的生物活性代谢产物。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Commercial applications for soy isoflavones have grown significantly in recent years. Isoflavones are used in health foods and as nutritional supplements. More recently they are being investigated as antioxidants, protecting skin from UV damage when taken orally or used topically. More importantly, isoflavones and their derivatives have potential to be used as pharmaceuticals in the fight against certain cancers, heart disease, and osteoporosis. Fermalogic identified a method for the isolation of isoflavones as a by-product of the Saccharopolyspora erythraea erythromycin fermentation, but in order to be commercially successful, a problem with degradation of the isoflavones during the fermentation had to be solved. In Phase I of this project the first metabolite of the isoflavone degradation pathway was identified. During Phase II we hope to find the gene responsible for this degradation and inactivate it. This should raise production levels of isoflavones to commercially useful levels. In addition/other bacterial fermentations will be investigated for the production of new biologically active isoflavone metabolites.