Process for producing 7-aminocephem compound or salts thereof

摘要

A process for producing 7-aminocephem compounds, or salts thereof, which comprises cultivating in a nutrient medium a microorganism capable of producing a 7-aminocephem compound of the formula: wherein R is acetoxy, hydroxy or hydrogen, and recovering the compound (I) or a salt thereof from the culture broth. An example of a suitable 7-aminocephem compound-producing microorganism is a fungal strain belonging to the species Acremonium chrysogenum that is capable of producing a cephalosporin compound of the formula: wherein R is as above and X is -CH(NH2)-COOH, -CO-COOH or -COOH, said fungal strain having been transformed with a 7-aminocephem compound production vector containing one or more promoters for Acremonium chrysogenum and gene(s) connected therewith which encodes enzyme(s) capable of converting the cephalosporin compound (II) to the 7-aminocephem compound (I). A vector for use in the process, cephalosporin compound-producing microorganisms transformed with said vector and a DNA fragment having the promoter activity of the Acremonium chrysogenum alkaline protease gene are also described.