New biochemical methods for the production of N-benzyloxycarbonyl-L-aminoadipate delta-semialdehyde (N-alpha-Z-L-AASA), N-alpha-Z-D-AASA, N alpha-Z-L-aminoadipic acid (N-alpha-Z-L-AAA), N-alpha-Z-D-AAA were developed using cells of Rhodococcus sp. AIU Z-35-1. When the cells harvested after I day of cultivation were incubated with 100 mM N-alpha-Z-L-lysine at pH 5.0 for I day at 30 degrees C or at pH 7.0 for 2 days at 10 degrees C, more than 95 mM N-alpha-Z-L-AASA was produced. Using the cells harvested after 3 days of cultivation, N-alpha-Z-L-AAA was efficiently produced by incubating at pH 7.0 for 4 days at 30 degrees C. Similar conversion yields Of N-alpha-Z-D-AASA and N-alpha-Z-D-AAA were also obtained under the same conditions. Thus, the microbial methods proposed here were superior to the chemical and other biochemical methods in simplicity, reaction rate, and yield. (c) 2006 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.