Economical Soy Isoflavone Production

描述(申请人提供)：近年来，大豆异黄酮类的商业应用显著增长。异黄酮类被用于健康食品和营养补充剂。最近，人们正在研究它们作为抗氧化剂，在口服或局部使用时保护皮肤免受紫外线损害。更重要的是，异黄酮类及其衍生物有可能被用作治疗某些癌症、心脏病和骨质疏松症的药物。费尔马洛奇发现了一种分离红霉素发酵副产物异黄酮类化合物的方法，但为了在商业上成功，必须解决发酵过程中异黄酮类化合物的降解问题。在该项目的第一阶段，确定了异黄酮降解途径的第一个代谢物。在第二阶段，我们希望找到导致这种降解的基因并使其失活。这应该会将异黄酮类的生产水平提高到商业有用的水平。此外，还将研究其他细菌发酵，以生产新的具有生物活性的异黄酮代谢物。

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.