The synthesis of nicotinic acid based amino acid units bearing an amidoxime function on the pyridine ring has been developed. The starting 2-cyanonicotinic acid was efficiently coupled with methyl esters of l―amino acids to afford intermediate 2-cyanopyridin-3-yl-containing pseudopeptides together with the tautomeric methyl esters of (2S)-2-(7-imino-5-oxo-5,7-dihydro-6H-pyrrolo[3,4-b]pyridin-6-yl)alkano ic acids. Regioselective pyrrolidine ring opening of these esters occurred upon hydroxylamine hydrochloride treatment, giving rise to the open-chain pyridin-3-yl 2-amidoxime pseudopeptides bearing the same structure as amidoximes obtained by direct hydroxyamination of the corresponding cyano esters.