A series of synthetic nicotinamide cofactors were synthesized to replace natural nicotinamide cofactors and promote enoate reductase (ER)-catalyzed reactions without compromising activity or stereoselectivity of the bioreduction process. Conversions and enantioselectivities of up to >99% were obtained for C=C bioreductions and the process was successfully upscaled. Furthermore, high chemoselectivity was observed when employing these nicotinamide cofactor mimics (mNADs) with crude extracts in ER-catalyzed reactions.The asymmetric reduction of conjugated C=C double bonds using enoate reductases (ERs, EC 1.3.1.31) is receiving great interest in preparative organic chemistry.1 § Both authors contributed equally.

Abstract:Various w-transaminases were tested for the synthesis of enantiomerically pure amines from the corresponding ketones employing d-or l-alanine as amino donor and lactate dehydrogenase to remove the side-product pyruvate to shift the unfavourable reaction equilibrium to the product side. Both enantiomers, (R)-and (S)-amines, could be prepared with up to 99% ee and > 99% conversions within 24 h at 50 mM substrate concentration. The activity and stereoselectivity of the amination reaction depended on the w-transaminase and substrate employed; furthermore the co-solvent significantly influenced both the stereoselectivity and activity of the transaminases. Best results were obtained by employing ATA-117 to obtain the (R)-enantiomer and ATA-113 or ATA-103 to access the (S)-enantiomer with 15% v v À1 DMSO.

All for one: A combination of three biocatalysts (ω‐transaminase, alanine dehydrogenase, and an enzyme such as formate dehydrogenase for cofactor recycling) catalyze a cascade to achieve the asymmetric transformation of a ketone into a primary α‐chiral unprotected amine through a formal stereoselective reductive amination (see scheme). Only ammonia and the reducing agent (formate) are consumed during this reaction.

Quasi-irreversible oxidation of sec-alcohols was achieved via biocatalytic hydrogen transfer reactions using alcohol dehydrogenases employing selected ketones as hydrogen acceptors, which can only be reduced but not oxidized. Thus, only 1 equiv of oxidant was required instead of a large excess. For the oxidation of both isomers of methylcarbinols a single nonstereoselective short-chain dehydrogenase/reductase from Sphingobium yanoikuyae was identified and overexpressed in E. coli.

Abstract:The stereoinversion of one enantiomer into its mirror-image counterpart within a racemate furnishes a single stereoisomeric product in 100 % theoretical yield. This extremely efficient type of deracemization, whereby substrate and product possess an identical chemical structure, can be achieved by using bio-or chemo-catalysts or combinations thereof and is applicable to secondary alcohols, amines and a-substituted carboxylic acids. Special emphasis is devoted to the theoretical background of the onepot, single-step deracemization of sec-alcohols.

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Ketones with two bulky substituents, named bulky-bulky ketones, as well as less sterically demanding ketones were successfully reduced to the corresponding optically highly enriched alcohols using a novel identified recombinant short-chain alcohol dehydrogenase RasADH from Ralstonia sp. DSM 6428 overexpressed in E. coli.

Mono- and biphasic aqueous-organic solvent systems (50% v v-1) as well as micro-aqueous organic systems (99% v v-1) were successfully employed for the biocatalytic reduction of ketones catalyzed by alcohol dehydrogenase ADH-A from Rhodococcus ruber via hydrogen transfer. A clear correlation between the log P of the organic solvent and the enzyme activity--the higher, the better--was found. The use of organic solvents allowed highly stereoselective enzymatic carbonyl reductions at substrate concentrations close to 2.0 M.