S-Adenosyl Methionine Cofactor Modifications Enhance the Biocatalytic Repertoire of Small Molecule C-Alkylation.

A tandem enzymatic strategy to enhance the scope of C-alkylation of small molecules via the in situ formation of S-adenosyl methionine (SAM) cofactor analogues is described. A solvent-exposed channel present in the SAM-forming enzyme SalL tolerates 5'-chloro-5'-deoxyadenosine (ClDA) analogues modified at the 2-position of the adenine nucleobase. Coupling SalL-catalyzed cofactor production with C-(m)ethyl transfer to coumarin substrates catalyzed by the methyltransferase (MTase) NovO forms C-(m)ethylated coumarins in superior yield and greater substrate scope relative to that obtained using cofactors lacking nucleobase modifications.

Design and evolution of an enzyme with a non-canonical organocatalytic mechanism.

The combination of computational design and laboratory evolution is a powerful and potentially versatile strategy for the development of enzymes with new functions. However, the limited functionality presented by the genetic code restricts the range of catalytic mechanisms that are accessible in designed active sites. Inspired by mechanistic strategies from small-molecule organocatalysis, here we report the generation of a hydrolytic enzyme that uses N-methylhistidine as a non-canonical catalytic nucleophile.

The Broad Aryl Acid Specificity of the Amide Bond Synthetase McbA Suggests Potential for the Biocatalytic Synthesis of Amides.

Amide bond formation is one of the most important reactions in pharmaceutical synthetic chemistry. The development of sustainable methods for amide bond formation, including those that are catalyzed by enzymes, is therefore of significant interest. The ATP-dependent amide bond synthetase (ABS) enzyme McbA, from Marinactinospora thermotolerans, catalyzes the formation of amides as part of the biosynthetic pathway towards the marinacarboline secondary metabolites.

An Aminocaprolactam Racemase from Ochrobactrum anthropi with Promiscuous Amino Acid Ester Racemase Activity.

The kinetic resolution of amino acid esters (AAEs) is a useful synthetic strategy for the preparation of single-enantiomer amino acids. The development of an enzymatic dynamic kinetic resolution (DKR) process for AAEs, which would give a theoretical yield of 100 % of the enantiopure product, would require an amino acid ester racemase (AAER); however, no such enzyme has been described. We have identified low AAER activity of 15 U mg in a homologue of a PLP-dependent α-amino ϵ-caprolactam racemase (ACLR) from Ochrobactrum anthropi.

Structural Basis for Phospholyase Activity of a Class III Transaminase Homologue.

Pyridoxal-phosphate (PLP)-dependent enzymes catalyse a remarkable diversity of chemical reactions in nature. A1RDF1 from Arthrobacter aurescens TC1 is a fold type I, PLP-dependent enzyme in the class III transaminase (TA) subgroup. Despite sharing 28 % sequence identity with its closest structural homologues, including β-alanine:pyruvate and γ-aminobutyrate:α-ketoglutarate TAs, A1RDF1 displayed no TA activity.

Biochemical characterization of an alcohol dehydrogenase from Ralstonia sp.

Stereoselective reduction towards pharmaceutically potent products with multi-chiral centers is an ongoing hot topic, but up to now catalysts for reductions of bulky aromatic substrates are rare. The NADPH-dependent alcohol dehydrogenase from Ralstonia sp. (RADH) is an exception as it prefers sterically demanding substrates.