Enzymatic synthesis of 2-beta-D-galactopyranosyloxy ethyl methacrylate (GalEMA) by the thermophilic archeon Sulfolobus solfataricus

β-Glycosidases catalyze the synthesis of glycosides when a nucleophilic acceptor other than water is present in the reaction medium. We describe the enzymatyc synthesis of 2-β-D-galactopyranosyloxyethyl methacrylate (Gal-EMA) starting from 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) and p-nitrophenyl-β-D-galactopyranoside (pNPG) using a β-glycosidase activity present in the thermophilic archaeon Sulfolobus solfataricus. This thermophilic enzyme catalyzes the transfer of the galactopyranosyl unit from pNPG to the HEMA hydroxyl group by the formation of a new β-glycosidic bond. The conditions of the biocatalytic system have been optimized to obtain high yield of GaIEMA. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.