D-Amino acid oxidases (DAAOs) have an important role in several processes of interest in the fine chemical and pharmaceutical industry for drug discovery. They are used in the production of optically pure L-amino acids1 and unnatural amino acids2, and the production of 7-aminocephalosporanic acid (7-ACA)2,3 which is a precursor of antibiotics with annual demand of approximately 100 t worldwide3...

The industrial production of fine chemicals, feed and food ingredients, pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals and their respective intermediates relies on an increasing application of biocatalysis, i.e. on enzyme or whole-cell catalyzed conversions of molecules. Simple procedures for discovery, cloning and over-expression as well as fast growth favour fungi, yeasts and especially bacteria as sources o...