Conversion of 7-deoxy-10-deacetylbaccatin-III into 6-(alpha)-hydroxy-7-deoxy-10-deacetylbaccatin-III by Nocardioides luteus

6-?alpha?-Hydroxy-7-deoxy-10-deacetylbaccatin-III is an intermediate that is potentially useful for synthesis of analogues of paclitaxel. Screening of microbial strains identified an enzyme activity in Nocardioides luteus SC 13912 (A.T.C.C. 55426) which converted 7-deoxy10-deacetylbaccatin-III into 6-hydroxy-7-deoxy-10-de-acetylbaccatin-III with a maximum yield of 44%.