Production Of Chiral Alcohols Research Articles

Light Controlled Nanobiohybrids for Modulating Chiral Alcohol Synthesis.

The modulation of whole-cell activity presents a considerable challenge in biocatalysis. Conventional approaches to whole-cell catalysis, while having their strengths, often rely on complex and deliberate enzyme designs, which could result in difficulties in activity modulation and prolonged response times. Additionally, the activity of intracellular enzymes in whole-cell catalysis is influenced by temperature. To address these limitations, we introduced a relationally designed nanobiohybrid system that utilized light to modulate whole-cell catalysis for chiral alcohol production. By incorporating platinum nanoparticles onto Rhodotorula sp. cell surfaces, the nanobiohybrid capitalized on the photothermal properties of the nanoparticles to regulate the overall cell activity. When exposed to light, the Pt nanoparticles generate heat through the photothermal effect, consequently leading to an increase in the catalytic activity of the whole cells. This innovative approach facilitates control over whole-cell production and provides an efficient method for regulating biocatalytic processes. The findings of this study demonstrate the significant potential of switchable control strategies in biomanufacturing across a wide range of industries.

A Nuclearity-Dependent Enantiodivergent Epoxide Opening via Enthalpy-Controlled Mononuclear and Entropy-Controlled Dinuclear (Salen)Titanium Catalysis.

A nuclearity-dependent enantiodivergent epoxide opening reaction has been developed, in which both antipodes of chiral alcohol products are selectively accessed by mononuclear (salen)TiIII complex and its self-assembled oxygen-bridged dinuclear counterparts within the same stereogenic ligand scaffold. Kinetic studies based on the Eyring equation revealed an enthalpy-controlled enantio-differentiation mode in mononuclear catalysis, whereas an entropy-controlled one in dinuclear catalysis. DFT calculations outline the origin of the enantiocontrol of the mononuclear catalysis and indicate the actual catalyst species in the dinuclear catalytic system. The mechanistic insights may shed a light on a strategy for stereoswichable asymmetric catalysis utilizing nuclearity-distinct transition-metal complexes.

A Nuclearity‐Dependent Enantiodivergent Epoxide Opening via Enthalpy‐Controlled Mononuclear and Entropy‐Controlled Dinuclear (Salen)Titanium Catalysis

AbstractA nuclearity‐dependent enantiodivergent epoxide opening reaction has been developed, in which both antipodes of chiral alcohol products are selectively accessed by mononuclear (salen)TiIII complex and its self‐assembled oxygen‐bridged dinuclear counterparts within the same stereogenic ligand scaffold. Kinetic studies based on the Eyring equation revealed an enthalpy‐controlled enantio‐differentiation mode in mononuclear catalysis, whereas an entropy‐controlled one in dinuclear catalysis. DFT calculations outline the origin of the enantiocontrol of the mononuclear catalysis and indicate the actual catalyst species in the dinuclear catalytic system. The mechanistic insights may shed a light on a strategy for stereoswichable asymmetric catalysis utilizing nuclearity‐distinct transition‐metal complexes.

RuPHOX-Ru catalyzed asymmetric Guerbet reaction of secondary alcohols with primary alcohols

An efficient RuPHOX-Ru catalyzed asymmetric Guerbet reaction of secondary alcohols with a broad scope of primary alcohols has been developed, affording long-chain chiral alcohols in high yields with excellent enantioselectivities (up to 99% yield and 96% ee). In particular, alkyl primary alcohols could also react to give the desired products with good results. The protocol could be performed on a gram-scale, providing an alternative pathway with minimal environmental impact and high atom-economy for the preparation of chiral alcohol products.

Asymmetric enzymatic hydration of unactivated terminal alkenes by two promiscuous oleate hydratases mined from marine metagenome

Enantiopure alcohols are very important chemicals as highly valuable building blocks in the synthesis of pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals and materials. The direct enantioselective hydration of unactivated 1-alkenes is a highly straightforward and atom economy approach to access chiral alcohols, though quite challenging in organic synthesis owing to low selectivity and many environmental concerns. Herein, two novel oleate hydratases (MmOAH1 and MmOAH2) were identified from marine metagenome via a sequence-based mining approach, and the two OAHs were functionally expressed in Escherichia coli T7, purified and characterized. Both of the two OAHs exhibited surprising highly promiscuous hydratase activity toward unactivated 1-alkenes when a carboxylic acid decoy molecule was involved in the reaction. Besides its natural substrate oleate acid, a series of unactivated 1-alkenes were converted to (S)-alcohols by using the resting cell of E. coli (MmOAH1) and E. coli (MmOAH2), moderate to good conversions (6–90%) and excellent ee (>98%) were obtained. Preparative-scale experiments were also demonstrated with 1-decene and 1-tridecene, affording (S)-2-decanol and (S)-2-tridecanol in good yields and excellent ee (>99%). This study expands the biocatalytic toolbox of available enzymes for asymmetric hydration reactions and proved that the OAHs mined from marine metagenome is promising for biotechnology application in production of chiral alcohols.

Stairway to Stereoisomers: Engineering Short- and Medium-Chain Ketoreductases To Produce Chiral Alcohols.

The short- and medium-chain dehydrogenase/reductase superfamilies are responsible for most chiral alcohol production in laboratories and industries. In nature, they participate in diverse roles such as detoxification, housekeeping, secondary metabolite production, and catalysis of several chemicals with commercial and environmental significance. As a result, they are used in industries to create biopolymers, active pharmaceutical intermediates (APIs), and are also used as components of modular enzymes like polyketide synthases for fabricating bioactive molecules. Consequently, random, semi-rational and rational engineering have helped transform these enzymes into product-oriented efficient catalysts. The rise of newer synthetic chemicals and their enantiopure counterparts has proved challenging, and engineering them has been the subject of numerous studies. However, they are frequently limited to the synthesis of a single chiral alcohol. The study attempts to defragment and describe hotspots of engineering short- and medium-chain dehydrogenases/reductases for the production of chiral synthons.

New Anti-Prelog Stereospecific Whole-Cell Biocatalyst for Asymmetric Reduction of Prochiral Ketones.

The biocatalytic asymmetric reduction of prochiral ketones for the production of enantiopure alcohols is highly desirable due to its inherent advantages over chemical methods. In this study, a new bacterial strain capable of transforming ketones to corresponding alcohols with high activity and excellent enantioselectivity was discovered in a soil sample. The strain was subsequently identified as Bacillus cereus TQ-2 based on its physiological characteristics and 16S rDNA sequence analysis. Under optimized reaction conditions, the resting cells of B. cereus TQ-2 converted acetophenone to enantioenriched (R)-1-phenylethanol with 99% enantiometric excess following anti-Prelog's rule, which is scarce in biocatalytic ketone reduction. The optimum temperature for the cells was 30 °C, and considerable catalytic activity was observed over a broad pH range from 5.0 to 9.0. The cells showed enhanced catalytic activity in the presence of 15% (v/v) glycerol as a co-substrate. The catalytic activity can also be substantially improved by adding Ca2+ or K+ ions. Moreover, the B. cereus TQ-2 cell was highly active in reducing several structurally diverse ketones and aldehydes to form corresponding alcohols with good to excellent conversion. Our study provides a versatile whole-cell biocatalyst that can be used in the asymmetric reduction of ketones for the production of chiral alcohol, thereby expanding the biocatalytic toolbox for potential practical applications.

Origin of the Unexpected Enantioselectivity in the Enzymatic Reductions of 5-Membered-Ring Heterocyclic Ketones Catalyzed by Candida parapsilosis Carbonyl Reductases

Candida parapsilosis carbonyl reductases (CpRCR) have been widely used for the reductive conversion of ketone precursors and chiral alcohol products in pharmaceutical industries. The enzymatic enantioselectivity is believed to be related to the shape complementation between the cavities in the enzymes and the substitutions of the ketone substrates. In this work, we reported an unexpected enantioselectivity in the enzyme reductions of dihydrofuran-3(2H)-one (DHF) to (S)-tetrahydrofuran-3-ol (DHF-ol, enantiomeric excess: 96.4%), while dihydrothiophen-3(2H)-one substrate (DHT) was unproductive under the same experimental conditions. To rationalize the exclusive S-configuration and the specific reactivity of DHF, we carried out molecular dynamics simulations for the reacting complexations of DHF with CpRCR, and DHT with CpRCR. Our calculations indicate that DHF preferentially binds to the small cavity near L119, F285, and W286, while the large cavity near the α1 helix was mainly occupied by solvent water molecules. Moreover, the pre-reaction state analysis suggests that the pro-S conformations were more abundant than the pro-R, in particular for DHF. This suggests that the non-polar interaction of substrate C4-C5 methylene contacting the hydrophobic side-chains of L119-F285-W286, and the polar interaction of funanyl oxygen exposing the solvent environment play important roles in the enantioselectivity and reactivity. The phylogenetic tree of CpRCR homologues implies that a variety of amino acid combinations at positions 285 and 286 were available and thereby potentially useful for redesigning enantioselective reductions of 5-membered-ring heterocyclic ketones.

Ketoreductase Catalyzed (Dynamic) Kinetic Resolution for Biomanufacturing of Chiral Chemicals.

Biocatalyzed asymmetric reduction of ketones is an environmentally friendly approach and one of the most cost-effective routes for producing chiral alcohols. In comparison with the well-studied reduction of prochiral ketones to generate chiral alcohols with one chiral center, resolution of racemates by ketoreductases (KREDs) to produce chiral compounds with at least two chiral centers is also an important strategy in asymmetric synthesis. The development of protein engineering and the combination with chemo-catalysts further enhanced the application of KREDs in the efficient production of chiral alcohols with high stereoselectivity. This review discusses the advances in the research area of KRED catalyzed asymmetric synthesis for biomanufacturing of chiral chemicals with at least two chiral centers through the kinetic resolution (KR) approach and the dynamic kinetic resolution (DKR) approach.

Preparation of chiral aryl alcohols: a controllable enzymatic strategy via light-driven NAD(P)H regeneration

Controllable and mild photoenzymatic production of chiral alcohols was realized by coupling a photochemical NAD(P)H regeneration system with (R)- or (S)-selective ketoreductases.

Construction and characterization of novel bifunctional fusion proteins composed of alcohol dehydrogenase and NADH oxidase with efficient oxidized cofactor regeneration.

To tune the efficiency of oxidized cofactor recycling between alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) and NADH oxidase (NOX) for the production of aromatic chiral alcohols, we designed and constructed four novel bifunctional fusion proteins composed of thermostable ADH and NOX from Thermococcus kodakarensis KOD1. ADH was linked to the N- or C-terminus of NOX with a typical rigid linker (EAAAK)3 and a flexible linker (GGGGS)3 , respectively. Compared with the parental enzymes, the NOX moieties in the four fusion proteins exhibited higher specific activities (141%-282%), while the ADH moieties exhibited varying levels of specific activity (69%-167%). All fusion proteins showed decreased affinities toward the cofactors, with increased Km values toward NADH (159%-406%) and NAD+ (202%-372%). In the enantioselective oxidation of (RS)-1-phenylethanol coupled with cofactor regeneration, the four fusion proteins displayed different positive and negative effects on the recycling efficiency of the oxidized cofactor. The two fusion proteins composed of NOX at the N-terminus exhibited higher total turnover numbers than the corresponding mixtures of individual enzymes with equal activities, particularly at low cofactor concentrations. These findings suggest high cofactor recycling efficiencies of the fusion proteins with appropriate design and their potential application in the biosynthesis of chiral alcohols.

Regioselective asymmetric bioreduction of trans-4-phenylbut-3-en-2-one by whole-cell of Weissella cibaria N9 biocatalyst.

There is a considerable interest in the asymmetric production of chiral allylic alcohols, the main building blocks of many functional molecules. The asymmetric reduction of α,β-unsaturated ketones is difficult with traditional chemical protocols in a regioselective and stereoselective manner. In this study, the reductive capacity of whole cell of Leuconostoc mesenteroides N6, Weissella paramesenteroides N7, Weissella cibaria N9, and Leuconostoc pseudomesenteroides N13 was investigated as whole-cell biocatalysts in the enantioselective reduction of (E)-4-phenylbut-3-en-2-one (1). The biocatalytic reduction of 1 to (S,E)-4-phenylbut-3-en-2-ol ((S,E)-2) using the whole cell of W.cibaria N9 isolated from Turkish sourdough was developed in a regioselective fashion, occurring with excellent conversion and recovering the product in good yield. In biocatalytic reduction reactions, the conversion of the substrate and the enantiomeric excess (ee) of the product are significantly affected by optimization parameters such as temperature, agitation rate, pH, and incubation time. Effects of these parameters on ee and conversion were investigated comprehensively. In addition, to our knowledge, this is the first report on production of (S,E)-2 using whole-cell biocatalyst in excellent yield, conversion with enantiopure form and at gram scale. These findings pave the way for the use of whole cell of W.cibaria N9 for challenging higher substrate concentrations of different α,β-unsaturated ketones for regioselective reduction at industrial scale.

Asymmetric reduction of 2-chloro-3-oxo-ester into enantiomerically high pure diltiazem precursor by a Candida ketoreductase

• A highly stereoselective reductase towards the 2-chloro-3-oxo-ester identified. • Highest space-time yield (46 g L −1 d −1 ) reported in bio-reduction of 1a . • Nearly enantiopure (2 R ,3 S )-MPGM obtained through chemo-enzymatic synthesis. Methyl (2 R ,3 S )-3-(4-methoxyphenyl)glycidate [(2 R ,3 S )-MPGM] is an advanced chiral synthon for the synthesis of the cardiovascular drug diltiazem. It can be easily accessed by cyclizing the reduction products of methyl 2-chloro-3-(4-methoxyphenyl)-3-oxo-propanoate ( 1a ). Herein, we report an identified carbonyl reductase ( Cp KR) from Candida parapsilosis that displayed an excellent stereoselectivity toward the keto substituent at the C 3 -position of the 2-chloro-3-oxo-ester 1a . The engineered Escherichia coli cells harboring Cp KR gene were directly applied for the asymmetric reduction of keto ester 1a with a space-time yield of 46 g L −1 d −1 , which represents the highest productivity in bio-reduction of 1a reported so far. The isolated chiral alcohol products were then applied to the chemical synthesis of (2 R ,3 S )-MPGM in 99% ee and a total yield of 76% in the two-step chemo-enzymatic reactions, which far exceeded the maximum theoretical yield (50%) of the existing industrial process based on a lipase-catalyzed resolution of racemic MPGM. This work provides a promising eco-friendly and cost-effective route toward industrial synthesis of pharmaceutically relevant diltiazem.

Co-immobilized Alcohol Dehydrogenase and Glucose Dehydrogenase with Resin Extraction for Continuous Production of Chiral Diaryl Alcohol.

Ni2+-functionalized porous ceramic/agarose composite beads (Ni-NTA Cerose) can be used as carrier materials to immobilize enzymes harboring a metal affinity tag. Here, a 6×His-tag fusion alcohol dehydrogenase Mu-S5 and glucose dehydrogenase from Bacillus megaterium (BmGDH) were co-immobilized on Ni-NTA Cerose to construct a packed bed reactor (PBR) for the continuous synthesis of the chiral intermediate (S)-(4-chlorophenyl)-(pyridin-2-yl) methanol ((S)-CPMA) NADPH recycling, and in situ product adsorption was achieved simultaneously by assembling a D101 macroporous resin column after the PBR. Using an optimum enzyme activity ratio of 2:1 (Mu-S5: BmGDH) and hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin as co-solvent, a space-time yield of 1560 g/(L·d) could be achieved in the first three days at a flow rate of 5 mL/min and substrate concentration of 10 mM. With simplified selective adsorption and extraction procedures, (S)-CPMA was obtained in 84% isolated yield.

Development of biocompatible DES/NADES as co-solvents for efficient biosynthesis of chiral alcohols.

The novel deep eutectic solvents (DESs) and natural deep eutectic solvents (NADESs) were designed and synthesized by cell protective components, in which the compounds were derived from natural alternative sources. The performances of designed DESs/NADESs as co-solvent were investigated in asymmetric reduction catalyzed by microbial cells. The DESs/NADESs synthesized by three different types of hydrogen bond receptor (betaine, L-proline and L-carnitine) conferred an advantage over conventional choline chloride-based DESs/NADESs and aqueous buffer system, with regard to efficient bioproduction of (R)-1-[4-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl]ethanol by recombinant Escherichia coli cells. TEM images exhibited that the cell membrane integrity during exposure to the developed NADESs was better than that after treatment with choline chloride-based NADES, which accounted for enhanced catalytic efficiency. This bioprocess was also feasible at 500mL preparation scale with 92.4% yield under 400mM substrate loading. To broaden the applicability of three types of DES/NADESs that increased catalytic efficiency in the process of E. coli-mediated reduction, the production of various chiral alcohols in developed reaction media were further examined, with some positive results. It was also found that lysine-based NADES could even reverse the enantioselectivity of biocatalyst at high water content in the reaction medium. These findings may aid in the development of novel DESs/NADESs for biocatalysis.

Corrigendum: Highly Enantioselective Production of Chiral Secondary Alcohols with Candida zeylanoides as a New Whole Cell Biocatalyst.

The increasing demand for biocatalysts in synthesizing enantiomerically pure chiral alcohols results from the outstanding characteristics of biocatalysts in reaction, economic, and ecological issues. Herein, fifteen yeast strains belonging to three food originated yeast species Candida zeylanoides, Pichia fermentans, and Saccharomyces uvarum were tested for their capability for asymmetric reduction of acetophenone to 1-phenylethanol as biocatalysts. Of these strains, C. zeylanoides P1 showed an effective asymmetric reduction ability. Under optimized conditions, substituted acetophenones were converted to corresponding optically active secondary alcohols in up to 99% enantiomeric excess and at high yields. The preparative scale asymmetric bioreduction of 4-nitroacetophenone (1m) by C. zeylanoides P1 gave (S)-1-(4-nitrophenyl)ethanol (2m) with 89% yield and > 99% enantiomeric excess. Compound 2m has been obtained in an enantiomerically pure and inexpensive form. Additionally, these results indicate that C. zeylanoides P1 is a promising biocatalyst for the synthesis of chiral alcohols in industry.

Ni-Catalyzed Enantioconvergent Coupling of Epoxides with Alkenylboronic Acids: Construction of Oxindoles Bearing Quaternary Carbons

We have developed a nickel- nickel/bisphosphine-catalyzed stereoconvergent cross-coupling reaction of epoxides with alkenylboronic acids. Racemic spiroepoxyoxindoles were converted to chiral homoal...

NADPH biosensor-based identification of an alcohol dehydrogenase variant with improved catalytic properties caused by a single charge reversal at the protein surface

Alcohol dehydrogenases (ADHs) are used in reductive biotransformations for the production of valuable chiral alcohols. In this study, we used a high-throughput screening approach based on the NADPH biosensor pSenSox and fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) to search for variants of the NADPH-dependent ADH of Lactobacillus brevis (LbADH) with improved activity for the reduction of 2,5-hexanedione to (2R,5R)-hexanediol. In a library of approx. 1.4 × 106 clones created by random mutagenesis we identified the variant LbADHK71E. Kinetic analysis of the purified enzyme revealed that LbADHK71E had a ~ 16% lowered KM value and a 17% higher Vmax for 2,5-hexanedione compared to the wild-type LbADH. Higher activities were also observed for the alternative substrates acetophenone, acetylpyridine, 2-hexanone, 4-hydroxy-2-butanone, and methyl acetoacetate. K71 is solvent-exposed on the surface of LbADH and not located within or close to the active site. Therefore, K71 is not an obvious target for rational protein engineering. The study demonstrates that high-throughput screening using the NADPH biosensor pSenSox represents a powerful method to find unexpected beneficial mutations in NADPH-dependent alcohol dehydrogenases that can be favorable in industrial biotransformations.

Candida zeylanoides as whole-cell biocatalyst to perform asymmetric bioreduction of benzophenone derivatives

Candida zeylanoides P1 was investigated as whole cell biocatalyst for the bioreduction of biaryl prochiral ketones into chiral carbinols, which can be used as pharmaceutical intermediate. Bioreduction of different biaryl ketones was carried out to their corresponding chiral biaryl carbinols such as (S)-(4-chlorophenyl) (phenyl) methanol (2a), which can be used in the synthesis of L-cloperastine drug, with antitussive, antiepidemic activity and bronchial musculature relaxant characteristics, in gram scale, enantiopure form (>99%) and excellent yields. The selectivity of C. zeylanoides P1 in enantioselective reduction of biaryl ketones was not affected by the steric and electronic effects of substrates. The current method demonstrates an encouraging green chemistry approach for the production of biaryl secondary chiral alcohols of pharmaceutical importance in mild, inexpensive and environmentally friendly process. The present study has many benefits since this yeast biocatalyst were successfully applied bioreduction of structurally bulky prochiral substrates, which cannot be reducted by chemical catalysis.

Production of chiral alcohols from racemic mixtures by integrated heterogeneous chemoenzymatic catalysis in fixed bed continuous operation

Production of chiral alcohols from racemic mixtures with an integrated heterogeneous chemo-enzymatic two step relay catalyst in fixed bed continuous operation.