Sustainable biocatalytic synthesis of substituted muconic acids.

The development of sustainable routes to organic building blocks is a critical endeavor for reducing the environmental impact of chemical synthesis. Biocatalysts are poised to play an important role in sustainable synthesis, as they perform highly selective reactions under mild conditions. The application of enzymes to organic synthesis requires an approach which is operationally simple, inexpensive to prepare, and reasonably scalable. In this work, we demonstrated the utility of a Type I ring-cleaving dioxygenase CatA (P. putida KT2440) for preparative-scale synthesis of muconic acid derivatives. Muconic acids are important precursors in the synthesis of polymers and commodity chemicals. In this work, we optimized the performance of CatA under millimolar substrate concentrations and characterized the activity of the enzyme with an array of catechol substrates. Furthermore, we developed a scalable platform using cellular lysates to produce diverse muconic acids, generating up to a gram of the desired product. A simple trituration procedure was utilized for the purification of these muconic acids that obviated the need for chromatographic purification and reduced overall solvent waste.

Site-Selective Deuteration of Amino Acids through Dual-Protein Catalysis.

Deuterated amino acids have been recognized for their utility in drug development, for facilitating nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) analysis, and as probes for enzyme mechanism. Small molecule-based methods for the site-selective synthesis of deuterated amino acids typically involve de novo synthesis of the compound from deuterated precursors. In comparison, enzymatic methods for introducing deuterium offer improved efficiency, operating directly on free amino acids to achieve hydrogen-deuterium (H/D) exchange. However, site selectivity remains a significant challenge for enzyme-mediated deuteration, limiting access to desirable deuteration motifs. Here, we use enzyme-catalyzed deuteration, combined with steady-state kinetic analysis and ultraviolet (UV)-vis spectroscopy to probe the mechanism of a two-protein system responsible for the biosynthesis of l-allo-Ile. We show that an aminotransferase (DsaD) can pair with a small partner protein (DsaE) to catalyze Cα and Cß H/D exchange of amino acids, while reactions without DsaE lead exclusively to Cα-deuteration. With conditions for improved catalysis, we evaluate the substrate scope for Cα/Cß-deuteration and demonstrate the utility of this system for preparative-scale, selective labeling of amino acids.

Scalable and Selective ß-Hydroxy-α-Amino Acid Synthesis Catalyzed by Promiscuous l-Threonine Transaldolase ObiH.

Enzymes from secondary metabolic pathways possess broad potential for the selective synthesis of complex bioactive molecules. However, the practical application of these enzymes for organic synthesis is dependent on the development of efficient, economical, operationally simple, and well-characterized systems for preparative scale reactions. We sought to bridge this knowledge gap for the selective biocatalytic synthesis of ß-hydroxy-α-amino acids, which are important synthetic building blocks. To achieve this goal, we demonstrated the ability of ObiH, an l-threonine transaldolase, to achieve selective milligram-scale synthesis of a diverse array of non-standard amino acids (nsAAs) using a scalable whole cell platform. We show how the initial selectivity of the catalyst is high and how the diastereomeric ratio of products decreases at high conversion due to product re-entry into the catalytic cycle. ObiH-catalyzed reactions with a variety of aromatic, aliphatic and heterocyclic aldehydes selectively generated a panel of ß-hydroxy-α-amino acids possessing broad functional-group diversity. Furthermore, we demonstrated that ObiH-generated ß-hydroxy-α-amino acids could be modified through additional transformations to access important motifs, such as ß-chloro-α-amino acids and substituted α-keto acids.

Structure and Function of NzeB, a Versatile C-C and C-N Bond-Forming Diketopiperazine Dimerase.

The dimeric diketopiperazine (DKPs) alkaloids are a diverse family of natural products (NPs) whose unique structural architectures and biological activities have inspired the development of new synthetic methodologies to access these molecules. However, catalyst-controlled methods that enable the selective formation of constitutional and stereoisomeric dimers from a single monomer are lacking. To resolve this long-standing synthetic challenge, we sought to characterize the biosynthetic enzymes that assemble these NPs for application in biocatalytic syntheses. Genome mining enabled identification of the cytochrome P450, NzeB (Streptomyces sp. NRRL F-5053), which catalyzes both intermolecular carbon-carbon (C-C) and carbon-nitrogen (C-N) bond formation. To identify the molecular basis for the flexible site-selectivity, stereoselectivity, and chemoselectivity of NzeB, we obtained high-resolution crystal structures (1.5 Å) of the protein in complex with native and non-native substrates. This, to our knowledge, represents the first crystal structure of an oxidase catalyzing direct, intermolecular C-H amination. Site-directed mutagenesis was utilized to assess the role individual active-site residues play in guiding selective DKP dimerization. Finally, computational approaches were employed to evaluate plausible mechanisms regarding NzeB function and its ability to catalyze both C-C and C-N bond formation. These results provide a structural and computational rationale for the catalytic versatility of NzeB, as well as new insights into variables that control selectivity of CYP450 diketopiperazine dimerases.

Synthetic utility of one-pot chemoenzymatic reaction sequences.

In recent years, there has been a rapid and sustained increase in the development and use of one-pot chemoenzymatic reaction processes for the efficient synthesis of high-value molecules. This strategy can provide a number of advantages over traditional synthetic methods, including high levels of selectivity in reactions, mild and sustainable reaction conditions, and the ability to rapidly build molecular complexity in a single reaction vessel. Here, we present several examples of chemoenzymatic one-pot reaction sequences that demonstrate the diversity of transformations that can be incorporated in these processes.

Chemoenzymatic o-Quinone Methide Formation.

Generation of reactive intermediates and interception of these fleeting species under physiological conditions is a common strategy employed by Nature to build molecular complexity. However, selective formation of these species under mild conditions using classical synthetic techniques is an outstanding challenge. Here, we demonstrate the utility of biocatalysis in generating o-quinone methide intermediates with precise chemoselectivity under mild, aqueous conditions. Specifically, α-ketoglutarate-dependent non-heme iron enzymes, CitB and ClaD, are employed to selectively modify benzylic C-H bonds of o-cresol substrates. In this transformation, biocatalytic hydroxylation of a benzylic C-H bond affords a benzylic alcohol product which, under the aqueous reaction conditions, is in equilibrium with the corresponding o-quinone methide. o-Quinone methide interception by a nucleophile or a dienophile allows for one-pot conversion of benzylic C-H bonds into C-C, C-N, C-O, and C-S bonds in chemoenzymatic cascades on preparative scale. The chemoselectivity and mild nature of this platform is showcased here by the selective modification of peptides and chemoenzymatic synthesis of the chroman natural product (-)-xyloketal D.

Whole-cell biocatalysis platform for gram-scale oxidative dearomatization of phenols.

Technologies enabling new enzyme discovery and efficient protein engineering have spurred intense interest in the development of biocatalytic reactions. In recent years, whole-cell biocatalysis has received attention as a simple, efficient, and scalable biocatalytic reaction platform. Inspired by these developments, we have established a whole-cell protocol for oxidative dearomatization of phenols using the flavin-dependent monooxygenase, TropB. This approach provides a scalable biocatalytic platform for accessing gram-scale quantities of chiral synthetic building blocks.