Biocatalysis enables the scalable conversion of biobased furans into various furfurylamines.

Biobased furans have emerged as chemical building blocks for the development of materials because of their diverse scaffolds and as they can be directly prepared from sugars. However, selective, efficient, and cost-effective scalable conversion of biobased furans remains elusive. Here, we report a robust transaminase (TA) from Shimia marina (SMTA) that enables the scalable amination of biobased furanaldehydes with high activity and broad substrate specificity. Crystallographic and mutagenesis analyses provide mechanistic insights and a structural basis for understanding SMTA, which enables a higher substrate conversion. The enzymatic cascade process established in this study allows one-pot synthesis of 2,5-bis(aminomethyl)furan (BAMF) and 5-(aminomethyl)furan-2-carboxylic acid from 5-hydroxymethylfurfural. The biosynthesis of various furfurylamines, including a one-pot cascade reaction for BAMF generation using whole cells, demonstrates their practical application in the pharmaceutical and polymer industries.

Elasto-inertial microfluidic separation of microspheres with submicron resolution at high-throughput.

Elasto-inertial microfluidic separation offers many advantages including high throughput and separation resolution. Even though the separation efficiency highly depends on precise control of the flow conditions, no concrete guidelines have been reported yet in elasto-inertial microfluidics. Here, we propose a dimensionless analysis for precise estimation of the microsphere behaviors across the interface of Newtonian and viscoelastic fluids. Reynolds number, modified Weissenberg number, and modified elastic number are used to investigate the balance between inertial and elastic lift forces. Based on the findings, we introduce a new dimensionless number defined as the width of the Newtonian fluid stream divided by microsphere diameter. The proposed dimensionless analysis allows us to predict whether the microspheres migrate across the co-flow interface. The theoretical estimation is found to be in good agreement with the experimental results using 2.1- and 3.2-µm-diameter polystyrene microspheres in a co-flow of water and polyethylene oxide solution. Based on the theoretical estimation, we also realize submicron separation of the microspheres with 2.1 and 2.5 µm in diameter at high throughput, high purity (>95%), and high recovery rate (>97%). The applicability of the proposed method was validated by separation of platelets from similar-sized Escherichia coli (E.coli).

Geometrical Doping at the Atomic Scale in Oxide Quantum Materials.

Chemical dopants enabling a plethora of emergent physical properties have been treated as randomly and uniformly distributed in the frame of a three-dimensional doped system. However, in nanostructured architectures, the location of dopants relative to the interface or boundary can greatly influence device performance. This observation suggests that chemical dopants need to be considered as discrete defects, meaning that geometric control of chemical dopants becomes a critical aspect as the physical size of materials scales down into the nanotechnology regime. Here we show that geometrical control of dopants at the atomic scale is another fundamental parameter in chemical doping, extending beyond the kind and amount of dopants conventionally used. The geometrical control of dopants extends the class of geometrically controlled structures into an unexplored dimensionality, between 2D and 3D. It is well understood that in the middle of the progressive dimensionality change from 3D to 2D, the electronic state of doped SrTiO3 is altered from a highly symmetric charged fluid to a charge disproportionated insulating state. Our results introduce a geometrical control of dopants, namely, geometrical doping, as another axis to provide a variety of emergent electronic states via tuning of the electronic properties of the solid state.

Non-Canonical Amino Acid-Based Engineering of (R)-Amine Transaminase.

Non-canonical amino acids (ncAAs) have been utilized as an invaluable tool for modulating the active site of the enzymes, probing the complex enzyme mechanisms, improving catalytic activity, and designing new to nature enzymes. Here, we report site-specific incorporation of p-benzoyl phenylalanine (pBpA) to engineer (R)-amine transaminase previously created from d-amino acid aminotransferase scaffold. Replacement of the single Phe88 residue at the active site with pBpA exhibits a significant 15-fold and 8-fold enhancement in activity for 1-phenylpropan-1-amine and benzaldehyde, respectively. Reshaping of the enzyme's active site afforded an another variant F86A/F88pBpA, with 30% higher thermostability at 55°C without affecting parent enzyme activity. Moreover, various racemic amines were successfully resolved by transaminase variants into (S)-amines with excellent conversions (∼50%) and enantiomeric excess (>99%) using pyruvate as an amino acceptor. Additionally, kinetic resolution of the 1-phenylpropan-1-amine was performed using benzaldehyde as an amino acceptor, which is cheaper than pyruvate. Our results highlight the utility of ncAAs for designing enzymes with enhanced functionality beyond the limit of 20 canonical amino acids.

Synthesis of Sitagliptin Intermediate by a Multi-Enzymatic Cascade System Using Lipase and Transaminase With Benzylamine as an Amino Donor.

Herein, we report the development of a multi-enzyme cascade using transaminase (TA), esterase, aldehyde reductase (AHR), and formate dehydrogenase (FDH), using benzylamine as an amino donor to synthesize the industrially important compound sitagliptin intermediate. A panel of 16 TAs was screened using ethyl 3-oxo-4-(2,4,5-trifluorophenyl) butanoate as a substrate (1). Amongst these enzymes, TA from Roseomonas deserti (TARO) was found to be the most suitable, showing the highest activity towards benzylamine (∼70%). The inhibitory effect of benzaldehyde was resolved by using AHR from Synechocystis sp. and FDH from Pseudomonas sp., which catalyzed the conversion of benzaldehyde to benzyl alcohol at the expense of NAD(P)H. Reaction parameters, such as pH, buffer system, and concentration of amino donor, were optimized. A single whole-cell system was developed for co-expressing TARO and esterase, and the promoter engineering strategy was adopted to control the expression level of each biocatalyst. The whole-cell reactions were performed with varying substrate concentrations (10-100 mM), resulting in excellent conversions (ranging from 72 to 91%) into the desired product. Finally, the applicability of this cascade was highlighted on Gram scale, indicating production of 70% of the sitagliptin intermediate with 61% isolated yield. The protocol reported herein may be considered an alternative to existing methods with respect to the use of cheaper amine donors as well as improved synthesis of (R) and (S) enantiomers with the use of non-chiral amino donors.

Promoter engineering-mediated Tuning of esterase and transaminase expression for the chemoenzymatic synthesis of sitagliptin phosphate at the kilogram-scale.

Here, we report a bienzymatic cascade to produce ß-amino acids as an intermediate for the synthesis of the leading oral antidiabetic drug, sitagliptin. A whole-cell biotransformation using recombinant Escherichia coli coexpressing a esterase and transaminase were developed, wherein the desired expression level of each enzyme was achieved by promotor engineering. The small-scale reactions (30 ml) performed under optimized conditions at varying amounts of substrate (100-300 mM) resulted in excellent conversions of 82%-95% for the desired product. Finally, a kilogram-scale enzymatic reaction (250 mM substrate, 220 L) was carried out to produce ß-amino acid (229 mM). Sitagliptin phosphate was chemically synthesized from ß-amino acids with 82% yield and > 99% purity.

An Integrated Cofactor/Co-Product Recycling Cascade for the Biosynthesis of Nylon Monomers from Cycloalkylamines.

We report a highly atom-efficient integrated cofactor/co-product recycling cascade employing cycloalkylamines as multifaceted starting materials for the synthesis of nylon building blocks. Reactions using E. coli whole cells as well as purified enzymes produced excellent conversions ranging from >80 and 95 % into desired ω-amino acids, respectively with varying substrate concentrations. The applicability of this tandem biocatalytic cascade was demonstrated to produce the corresponding lactams by employing engineered biocatalysts. For instance, ϵ-caprolactam, a valuable polymer building block was synthesized with 75 % conversion from 10 mM cyclohexylamine by employing whole-cell biocatalysts. This cascade could be an alternative for bio-based production of ω-amino acids and corresponding lactam compounds.

Discovery of Novel Pseudomonas putida Flavin-Binding Fluorescent Protein Variants with Significantly Improved Quantum Yield.

Oxygen-independent, flavin-binding fluorescent proteins (FbFPs) are emerging as alternatives to green fluorescent protein (GFP), which has limited applicability in studying anaerobic microorganisms, such as human gastrointestinal bacteria, which grow in oxygen-deficient environments. However, the utility of these FbFPs has been compromised because of their poor fluorescence emission. To overcome this limitation, we have employed a high-throughput library screening strategy and engineered an FbFP derived from Pseudomonas putida (SB2) for enhanced quantum yield. Of the resulting SB2 variants, KOFP-7 exhibited a significantly improved quantum yield (0.61) compared to other reported engineered FbFPs, which was even higher than that of enhanced GFP (EGFP, 0.60), with significantly enhanced tolerance against a strong reducing agent.

In vivo biosynthesis of tyrosine analogs and their concurrent incorporation into a residue-specific manner for enzyme engineering.

Herein we report the development of an efficient cellular system for the in vivo biosynthesis of Tyr-analogs and their concurrent incorporation into target proteins by the residue-specific approach. This system makes use of common phenol derivatives and the tyrosine phenol lyase machinery to create various tyrosine analogues that impart desired properties on the target proteins. Biosynthesized 2-fluorotyrosine was incorporated into three industrially important enzymes which resulted in enhanced thermostability.

Effect of histological subtype and treatment modalities on T1-2 N0-1 small cell lung cancer: A population-based study.

BACKGROUND: Combined small cell lung cancer (C-SCLC) is rare and its clinical features, appropriate treatment, and prognosis are poorly understood. Reports conflict over the prognosis of C-SCLCs compared to pure small cell lung cancer. METHODS: The records of patients diagnosed with primary SCLC from 1988 to 2014 were extracted from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database. The general features of C-SCLCs were compared to those of SCLCs. T1-2 N0-1 data was extracted and the effects of the histological subtype, treatment modality, and other prognostic factors on lung cancer-specific survival (CSS) was analyzed in a 3:1 matched dataset. Analysis was performed using the 8th edition tumor node metastasis staging system and previous staging systems adjunctively. RESULTS: C-SCLCs comprised 1.5% of all SCLCs (1486/98 667); 184 cases of C-SCLCs and 2681 cases of non-combined SCLCs (NC-SCLCs) were included in this study. C-SCLCs were more likely to be of a higher grade and to occur in the upper lobe than NC-SCLCs. Before matching, C-SCLCs showed better CSS (hazard ratio 0.69; P < 0.001). However, stratified Cox proportional hazards analysis in the matched dataset revealed that only treatment modality and age at diagnosis were associated with CSS; the histological subtype had no effect on survival. Of all treatment modalities, surgery with chemoradiation showed the best CSS in T1-2 N0-1 SCLC. CONCLUSION: In early SCLC, surgery with chemoradiation shows the best CSS. C-SCLC patients might benefit more from multimodal treatments, including surgery, than SCLC patients.

Enzymatic synthesis of sitagliptin intermediate using a novel ω-transaminase.

Enantiopure ß-amino acids are essential precursors of various pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals and other industrially important chemicals. In this study, we selected sixteen potential ω-Transaminases (ω-TAs) by BLAST and phylogenetic tree analysis. These ω-TAs were cloned, purified and tested for their reactivity for the synthesis of model ß-amino acid (R)-3-amino-4-(2,4,5-triflurophenyl) butanoic acid [3-ATfBA], a key precursor for sitagliptin. In an enzymatic cascade, lipase converted ß-ketoester substrate to ß-keto acid, which was subsequently aminated by the selected ω-TA to its corresponding ß-amino acid. A potent enzyme from Ilumatobacter coccineus (ω-TAIC) was identified for the production of 3-ATfBA. The pH dependency of the product inhibition suggested that lowering the reaction pH to 7.0 can circumvent the inhibition of ω-TAIC by 3-ATfBA and about 92.3% conversion of 100 mM ß-keto ester substrate could be achieved. The applicability of this enzymatic system was further evaluated at the scale of 140 mM, wherein 3-ATfBA was generated with excellent conversion (81.9%) and enantioselectivity (99% ee). Furthermore, ω-TAIC was successfully used for the synthesis of various ß-amino acids from their corresponding ß-keto ester substrates.

Biosynthesis of the Nylon 12 Monomer, ω-Aminododecanoic Acid with Novel CYP153A, AlkJ, and ω-TA Enzymes.

Bioplastics are derived from renewable biomass sources, such as vegetable oils, cellulose, and starches. An important and high-performance member of the bioplastic family is Nylon 12. The biosynthesis of ω-amino dodecanoic acid (ω-AmDDA), the monomer of Nylon 12 from vegetable oil derivatives is considered as an alternative to petroleum-based monomer synthesis. In this study, for the production of ω-AmDDA from dodecanoic acid (DDA), the cascade of novel P450 (CYP153A), alcohol dehydrogenase (AlkJ), and ω-transaminase (ω-TA) is developed. The regioselective ω-hydroxylation of 1 mM DDA with near complete conversion (>99%) is achieved using a whole-cell biocatalyst co-expressing CYP153A, ferredoxin reductase and ferredoxin. When the consecutive biotransformation of ω-hydroxy dodecanoic acid (ω-OHDDA) is carried out using a whole-cell biocatalyst co-expressing AlkJ and ω-TA, 1.8 mM ω-OHDDA is converted into ω-AmDDA with 87% conversion in 3 h. Finally, when a one-pot reaction is carried out with 2 mM DDA using both whole-cell systems, 0.6 mM ω-AmDDA is produced after a 5 h reaction. The results demonstrated the scope of the potential cascade reaction of novel CYP153A, AlkJ, and ω-TA for the production of industrially important bioplastic monomers, amino fatty acids, from FFAs.

Biotransformation of ß-keto nitriles to chiral (S)-ß-amino acids using nitrilase and ω-transaminase.

OBJECTIVE: To enzymatically synthesize enantiomerically pure ß-amino acids from ß-keto nitriles using nitrilase and ω-transaminase. RESULTS: An enzyme cascade system was designed where in ß-keto nitriles are initially hydrolyzed to ß-keto acids using nitrilase from Bradyrhizobium japonicum and subsequently ß-keto acids were converted to ß-amino acids using ω-transaminases. Five different ω-transaminases were tested for this cascade reaction, To enhance the yields of ß-amino acids, the concentrations of nitrilase and amino donor were optimized. Using this enzymatic reaction, enantiomerically pure (S)-ß-amino acids (ee > 99%) were generated. As nitrilase is the bottleneck in this reaction, molecular docking analysis was carried out to depict the poor affinity of nitrilase towards ß-keto acids. CONCLUSIONS: A novel enzymatic route to generate enantiomerically pure aromatic (S)-ß-amino acids from ß-keto nitriles is demonstrated for the first time.

Improved NADPH Regeneration for Fungal Cytochrome P450 Monooxygenase by Co-Expressing Bacterial Glucose Dehydrogenase in Resting-Cell Biotransformation of Recombinant Yeast.

Fungal cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes catalyze versatile monooxygenase reactions and play a major role in fungal adaptations owing to their essential roles in the production avoid metabolites critical for pathogenesis, detoxification of xenobiotics, and exploitation avoid substrates. Although fungal CYP-dependent biotransformation for the selective oxidation avoid organic compounds in yeast system is advantageous, it often suffers from a shortage avoid intracellular NADPH. In this study, we aimed to investigate the use of bacterial glucose dehydrogenase (GDH) for the intracellular electron regeneration of fungal CYP monooxygenase in a yeast reconstituted system. The benzoate hydroxylase FoCYP53A19 and its homologous redox partner FoCPR from Fusarium oxysporum were co-expressed with the BsGDH from Bacillus subtilis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae for heterologous expression and biotransformations. We attempted to optimize several bottlenecks concerning the efficiency of fungal CYP-mediated whole-cell-biotransformation to enhance the conversion. The catalytic performance of the intracellular NADPH regeneration system facilitated the hydroxylation of benzoic acid to 4-hydroxybenzoic acid with high conversion in the resting-cell reaction. The FoCYP53A19+FoCPR+BsGDH reconstituted system produced 0.47 mM 4-hydroxybenzoic acid (94% conversion) in the resting-cell biotransformations performed in 50 mM phosphate buffer (pH 6.0) containing 0.5 mM benzoic acid and 0.25% glucose for 24 h at 30°C. The "coupled-enzyme" system can certainly improve the overall performance of NADPH-dependent whole-cell biotransformations in a yeast system.