PAPAIN-CATALYZED HYDANTOIN HYDROLYSIS IN THE SYNTHESIS OF AMINO-ACIDS

Papain has been shown, for the first time, to exhibit hydantoinase act ivity. It hydrolyzes the 5-mono and 5,5'-disubstituted hydantoins with linear and cyclic substituents, with a higher activity for the latter , to the corresponding N-carbamoyl amino acids, which on chemical hydr olysis yield the corresponding amino acids. The upscaling of this simp le procedure could be a major breakthrough for amino acid synthesis in chemical and pharmaceutical industries. (C) 1998 Academic Press.