| abstract |
The present invention relates to a thermophilic L-ribose isomerase which is specifically reactive to L-ribose as substrates, a nucleic acid molecule encoding the same and a method for preparing an aldose or ketose using the same. In recent, L-ribose has been mostly prepared by chemical synthesis methods; however these methods have disadvantages: complexity of purification steps, and production of harmful chemical contaminants and by-products. However, because L-ribose isomerase of this invention has significant thermophilicity as well as substrate specificity to L-ribose, it has plausible advantages over chemical synthesis methods. For example, L-ribose isomerase enables to utilize substrates in higher concentrations since enzymatic reactions using L-ribose isomerase can be carried out with minimizing generation of byproducts in higher temperature conditions. Furthermore, where reactions are performed using the L-ribose isomerizing enzyme of this invention, their viscosity is low, their susceptibility to contamination by microorganisms is very low and their rate is very likely to be high. In addition to this, the L-ribose isomerizing enzyme of this invention contributes to minimization of byproducts generation. |