Hydrolysis Of Styrene Oxide Research Articles

Organic-inorganic epoxide hydrolase hybrid nanoflowers with enhanced catalytic activity: Hydrolysis of styrene oxide to 1-phenyl-1,2-ethanediol

Epoxide hydrolases are ubiquitous in nature and are utilized to catalyze the cofactor-independent hydrolysis of epoxides to their corresponding diols. These enzymes have tremendous potential and have been applied in the synthesis of bulk and fine chemical industry and utilized as chiral building blocks. Herein, we report a green, facile, and economical method for immobilization of epoxide hydrolase based on biomimetic mineralization. The organic-inorganic hybrid nanoflowers have received tremendous attention due to their higher catalytic activity and stability. The nanoflowers were synthesized, with the organic component being enzyme epoxide hydrolase and the inorganic component being Ca2+ ions. A unique hierarchical flower-like spherical structure with hundreds of spiked petals was observed. The synthesized nanoflowers were applied for styrene oxide hydrolysis, producing 1-phenyl-1,2-ethanediol. Further, the factors influencing the morphology, catalytic activity, and stability studies were performed to study the activity recovery of the synthesized organic-inorganic hybrid epoxide hydrolase nanoflowers. The findings will have interesting applications.

Enantioselective Hydrolysis of Styrene Oxide and Benzyl Glycidyl Ether by a Variant of Epoxide Hydrolase from Agromyces mediolanus.

Enantiopure epoxides are versatile synthetic intermediates for producing optically active pharmaceuticals. In an effort to provide more options for the preparation of enantiopure epoxides, a variant of the epoxide hydrolase (vEH-Am) gene from a marine microorganism Agromyces mediolanus was synthesized and expressed in Escherichia coli. Recombiant vEH-Am displayed a molecular weight of 43 kDa and showed high stability with a half-life of 51.1 h at 30 °C. The purified vEH-Am exhibited high enantioselectivity towards styrene oxide (SO) and benzyl glycidyl ether (BGE). The vEH-Am preferentially converted (S)-SO, leaving (R)-SO with the enantiomeric excess (ee) >99%. However, (R)-BGE was preferentially hydrolyzed by vEH-Am, resulting in (S)-BGE with >99% ee. To investigate the origin of regioselectivity, the interactions between vEH-Am and enantiomers of SO and BGE were analyzed by molecular docking simulation. In addition, it was observed that the yields of (R)-SO and (S)-BGE decreased with the increase of substrate concentrations. The yield of (R)-SO was significantly increased by adding 2% (v/v) Tween-20 or intermittent supplementation of the substrate. To our knowledge, vEH-Am displayed the highest enantioselectivity for the kinetic resolution of racemic BGE among the known EHs, suggesting promising applications of vEH-Am in the preparation of optically active BGE.

Efficient asymmetric hydrolysis of styrene oxide by Mung bean epoxide hydrolases in a supercritical CO2/buffer biphasic system

The asymmetric hydrolysis of styrene oxide (SO) by Mung bean epoxide hydrolases in a supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2)/buffer biphasic system was investigated. With the addition of 0.80 M sodium bicarbonate, the yield of (R)-1-phenyl-1,2-ethanediol ((R)-PED) improved from 20.8% to 47.1%. Compared to the case of the aqueous monophasic system, the enantiomer excess (ee) of (R)-PED improved from 81.8% to 91.5%. Under the optimized conditions for the enzymatic reaction, i.e., at a pressure, temperature, SO concentration, and water content of 12 MPa, 40 °C, 80 mM, and 6.0% (v/v), respectively, an (R)-PED yield of 49.2% and ee of 94.1% were achieved. As the water content had a significant effect on the (R)-PED yield and ee, a stepwise reaction method was adopted. When the initial water content was 8.0% (v/v) and 1% (v/v) water was added at intervals of 1 h, the (R)-PED yield and ee reached 49.1% and 97.2%, respectively.

The effect of deep eutectic solvents on the asymmetric hydrolysis of styrene oxide by mung bean epoxide hydrolases

BackgroundDeep eutectic solvents have attracted considerable attention in numerous fields. There is little information on mung bean epoxide hydrolase-catalyzed epoxides in deep eutectic solvent-containing system.ResultsAdding deep eutectic solvents with hydrogen bond donor of acids to phosphate buffer resulted in an obvious decrease in the optical purity of product; nevertheless, the relative slight change was observed by the addition of the deep eutectic solvents with hydrogen bond donor of alcohols and urea. Of the tested deep eutectic solvents, 10% additional amount of choline chloride/trithylene glycol can cause a significant improvement in the enantiopurity of product, from 83.2 ± 1.3% to 87.9 ± 0.3%. Moreover, with the increase in the addition amount of choline chloride/triethylene glycol from 10 to 30%, the enantiomeric excess of product enhanced from 87.9 to 94%, but a decline of product yield was observed. Finally, the evaluation of enzyme stability showed that the additional amount from 10% to 30% was not beneficial to the activity recovery.ConclusionIn short, adding choline chloride/triethylene glycol contributes to the improvement in the optical purity of (R)-1-phenyl-1, 2-ethanediol in the catalysis of styrene oxide by mung bean epoxide hydrolases; meanwhile, the enzyme immobilization could be essential.

Asymmetric hydrolysis of styrene oxide by PvEH2, a novel Phaseolus vulgaris epoxide hydrolase with extremely high enantioselectivity and regioselectivity

A novel EH from Phaseolus vulgaris, PvEH2, was discovered based on the computer-aided analysis, and its encoding gene was cloned and expressed in E. coli Rossetta (DE3). The substrate spectrum of recombinant (re) PvEH2 was assayed, among which the enantiomeric ratio of rePvEH2 towards racemic styrene oxide (rac-1a) was >200, while its regioselectivity coefficients, αS and βR, towards (S)- and (R)-1a were 99.1 and 69.8%, respectively. The asymmetric hydrolysis of 20mM rac-1a by rePvEH2-expressing whole cells was performed at 25°C, retaining (R)-1a with >99.5% ees and 49.4% yield and producing (R)-phenyl-1,2-ethanediol (1b) with 96.2% eep and 49.7% yield in 40min.

Conformational diversity and enantioconvergence in potato epoxide hydrolase 1.

Potato epoxide hydrolase 1 (StEH1) is a biocatalytically important enzyme that exhibits rich enantio- and regioselectivity in the hydrolysis of chiral epoxide substrates. In particular, StEH1 has been demonstrated to enantioconvergently hydrolyze racemic mixes of styrene oxide (SO) to yield (R)-1-phenylethanediol. This work combines computational, crystallographic and biochemical analyses to understand both the origins of the enantioconvergent behavior of the wild-type enzyme, as well as shifts in activities and substrate binding preferences in an engineered StEH1 variant, R-C1B1, which contains four active site substitutions (W106L, L109Y, V141K and I155V). Our calculations are able to reproduce both the enantio- and regioselectivities of StEH1, and demonstrate a clear link between different substrate binding modes and the corresponding selectivity, with the preferred binding modes being shifted between the wild-type enzyme and the R-C1B1 variant. Additionally, we demonstrate that the observed changes in selectivity and the corresponding enantioconvergent behavior are due to a combination of steric and electrostatic effects that modulate both the accessibility of the different carbon atoms to the nucleophilic side chain of D105, as well as the interactions between the substrate and protein amino acid side chains and active site water molecules. Being able to computationally predict such subtle effects for different substrate enantiomers, as well as to understand their origin and how they are affected by mutations, is an important advance towards the computational design of improved biocatalysts for enantioselective synthesis.

Using Ionic Liquid in a Biphasic System to Improve Asymmetric Hydrolysis of Styrene Oxide Catalyzed by Cross-Linked Enzyme Aggregates (CLEAs) of Mung Bean Epoxide Hydrolases

The asymmetric hydrolysis of racemic styrene oxide (SO) to (R)-1-phenyl-1,2-ethanediol using cross-linked enzyme aggregates (CLEAs) of epoxide hydrolases (EHs) from mung bean (mbEHs) was successfully conducted using ionic liquids (ILs) as cosolvents in biphasic systems. Of all the tested ILs, the best results were observed in the biphasic system containing [C4MIM][PF6] with better biocompatibility to the CLEAs of mbEHs. In the [C4MIM][PF6]/buffer biphasic system, it was found that the optimal volume ratio of IL to buffer, reaction temperature, buffer pH, and substrate concentration were 1:5, 40 °C, 7.5, and 120 mM, respectively. Under the optimized reaction conditions, the initial reaction rate, yield, product ee, and E value reached 3.35 mmol/min, 49%, 95.8%, and 151, respectively, which were much higher than the corresponding values reported previously. Furthermore, the CLEAs exhibited markedly enhanced operational stability in a [C4MIM][PF6]-based biphasic system as compared with an n-hexane-based biph...

A novel and enantioselective epoxide hydrolase from Aspergillus brasiliensis CCT 1435: Purification and characterization

A novel epoxide hydrolase from Aspergillus brasiliensis CCT1435 (AbEH) was cloned and overexpressed in Escherichia coli cells with a 6xHis-tag and purified by nickel affinity chromatography. Gel filtration analysis and circular dichroism measurements indicated that this novel AbEH is a homodimer in aqueous solution and contains the typical secondary structure of an α/β hydrolase fold. The activity of AbEH was initially assessed using the fluorogenic probe O-(3,4-epoxybutyl) umbelliferone and was active in a broad range of pH (6–9) and temperature (25–45°C); showing optimum performance at pH 6.0 and 30°C. The Michaelis constant (KM) and maximum rate (Vmax) values were 495μM and 0.24μM/s, respectively. Racemic styrene oxide (SO) was used as a substrate to assess the AbEH activity and enantioselectivity, and 66% of the SO was hydrolyzed after only 5min of reaction, with the remaining (S)-SO ee exceeding 99% in a typical kinetic resolution behavior. The AbEH-catalyzed hydrolysis of SO was also evaluated in a biphasic system of water:isooctane; (R)-diol in 84% ee and unreacted (S)-SO in 36% ee were produced, with 43% conversion in 24h, indicating a discrete enantioconvergent behavior for AbEH. This novel epoxide hydrolase has biotechnological potential for the preparation of enantiopure epoxides or vicinal diols.

Cross-linked enzyme aggregates of Mung bean epoxide hydrolases: A highly active, stable and recyclable biocatalyst for asymmetric hydrolysis of epoxides

A highly active and stable cross-linked enzyme aggregates (CLEAs) of epoxide hydrolases (EHs) from Mung bean, which plays a crucial role in synthesis of valuable enantiopure diols, were successfully prepared and characterized. Under the optimum preparation conditions, the activity recovery of CLEAs recorded 92%. The CLEAs were more efficient than the free enzyme in catalyzing asymmetric hydrolysis of styrene oxide to (R)-1-phenyl-1,2-ethanediol in organic solvent-containing biphasic system. The biocatalytic reaction performed in n-hexane/buffer biphasic system had a clearly faster initial reaction rate, much higher product yield and product e.e. value than that in aqueous medium. Moreover, the optimal volume ratio of n-hexane to buffer, reaction temperature, buffer pH value and substrate concentration for the enzymatic hydrolysis were found to be 1:1, 40°C, 7.5 and 30mM, respectively, under which the initial reaction rate, product yield and product e.e. value were 13.26mM/h, 46% and 93.5%, respectively. The CLEAs retained more than 50% of their initial activity after 8 batches of re-use in phosphate buffer and maintained 53% of their original activity after 8 reaction cycle in biphasic system. The efficient biocatalytic process with CLEAs proved to be feasible on a 250-mL preparative scale, exhibiting great potential for asymmetric synthesis of chiral diols.

Enantioselective Hydrolysis of Racemic and Meso-Epoxides with Recombinant Escherichia coli Expressing Epoxide Hydrolase from Sphingomonas sp. HXN-200: Preparation of Epoxides and Vicinal Diols in High ee and High Concentration

A unique epoxide hydrolase (SpEH) from Sphingomonas sp. HXN-200 was identified and cloned based on genome sequencing and expressed in Escherichia coli. The engineered E. coli (SpEH) showed the same selectivity and substrate specificity as the wild type strain and 172 times higher activity than Sphingomonas sp. HXN-200 for the hydrolysis of styrene oxide 1. Hydrolysis of racemic styrene oxide 1, substituted styrene oxides 3, 5–7, and N-phenoxycarbonyl-3,4-epoxypiperidine 8 (200–100 mM) with resting cells of E. coli (SpEH) gave (S)-epoxides 1, 3, 5–7 and (−)-8 in 98.0–99.5% enantiomeric excess (ee) and 37.6–46.5% yield. Hydrolysis of cyclopentene oxide 9, cyclohexene oxide 10, and N-benzyloxycarbonyl-3,4-epoxypyrrolidine 11 (100 mM) afforded the corresponding (R, R)-vicinal trans-diols 12–14 in 86–93% ee and 90–99% yield. The ee of (1R, 2R)-cyclohexane-1,2-diol 13 was improved to 99% by simple crystallization. These biotransformations showed high specific activity (0.28–4.3 U/mg cdw), product concentration,...

Immobilized Aspergillus niger epoxide hydrolases: Cost-effective biocatalysts for the prepation of enantiopure styrene oxide, propylene oxide and epichlorohydrin

Abstract This study aimed to prepare robust immobilized epoxide hydrolase (EH) preparations for asymmetric hydrolysis of racemic epoxides such as styrene oxide, propylene oxide and epichlorohydrin. For this purpose, Aspergillus niger EH was immobilized onto Lewatit ® VP OC 1600 support by adsorption, modified Florisil ® and Eupergit ® C supports by covalently. The suitability of the supports was examined for protein binding capacity and rate of racemic styrene oxide hydrolysis. The protein-activity recovery yields were 75–85%, 82–78% and 90–75%, respectively for EH immobilized onto Lewatit ® VP OC 1600, modified Florisil ® and Eupergit ® C supports. All A. niger EH preparations catalyzed preferentially hydrolysis of ( R )-epoxides. Although enantiomeric excess values of all the tested epoxides were 99%, the highest enantiopure epoxide yields were obtained as 48% for ( S )-styrene oxide by the immobilized EHs onto modified Florisil ® and Eupergit ® C. The highest diol yield was obtained as 78% for 3-chloro-1,2-propanediol, however, its enantiomeric excess value was 28.2%. Enantioselectivity of A. niger EH was improved with the preparation of mentioned immobilized forms. The highest enantioselectivity value was obtained as 95 toward styrene oxide by A. niger EH immobilized onto modified Florisil ® . The results of reusability studies show that the immobilized EH preparations offer feasible potentials for the preparation of enantiopure epoxides than that of free form.

Use of hydrophilic ionic liquids in a two-phase system to improve Mung bean epoxide hydrolases-mediated asymmetric hydrolysis of styrene oxide

A comparative study was made of Mung bean epoxide hydrolases-catalyzed asymmetric hydrolysis of styrene oxide to (R)-1-phenyl-1,2-ethanediol in an n-hexane/buffer biphasic system containing various hydrophilic ionic liquids (ILs). Compared to the n-hexane/buffer biphasic system alone, addition of a small amount of hydrophilic ILs reduced the amount of non-enzymatic hydrolysis, and improved the reaction rate by up to 22%. The ILs with cation containing an alkanol group, namely [C2OHMIM][BF4] and [C2OHMIM][TfO], and the choline amino acid ILs [Ch][Arg] and [Ch][Pro] were found to be the most suitable co-solvents for the reaction, owing to their good biocompatibility with the enzyme, which led to high initial rates (0.99–1.25μmol/min) and high product e.e.s (95%). When substrate concentration was around 30mM, where optimal performance was observed with the IL-containing systems, the product e.e. was improved from 90% without ILs to ≥95% in the presence of ILs.

Efficient asymmetric hydrolysis of styrene oxide catalyzed by Mung bean epoxide hydrolases in ionic liquid-based biphasic systems

The asymmetric hydrolysis of styrene oxide to (R)-1-phenyl-1,2-ethanediol using Mung bean epoxide hydrolases was, for the first time, successfully conducted in an ionic liquid (IL)-containing biphasic system. Compared to aqueous monophasic system, IL-based biphasic systems could not only dissolve the substrate, but also effectively inhibit the non-enzymatic hydrolysis, and therefore markedly improve the reaction efficiency. Of all the tested ILs, the best results were observed in the biphasic system containing C4MIM·PF6, which exhibited good biocompatibility with the enzyme and was an excellent solvent for the substrate. In the C4MIM·PF6/buffer biphasic system, it was found that the optimal volume ratio of IL to buffer, reaction temperature, buffer pH and substrate concentration were 1/6, 35°C, 6.5 and 100mM, respectively, under which the initial reaction rate, the yield and the product e.e. were 18.4mM/h, 49.4% and 97.0%. The biocatalytic process was shown to be feasible on a 500-mL preparative scale.

Characterization of the epoxide hydrolase NcsF2 from the neocarzinostatin biosynthetic gene cluster.

Neocarzinostatin (1) biosynthesis is proposed to involve a vicinal diol intermediate. It is reported that NcsF2, one of two epoxide hydrolases encoded by the NCS gene cluster, catalyzes regiospecific addition of H(2)O to C-2 of both (R)- and (S)-styrene oxides to afford (R)- and (S)-1-phenyl-1,2-ethanediols, respectively, supporting its proposed role in 1 biosynthesis. (R)-1-Phenyl-1,2-ethanediol (87% yield and 99% ee) was obtained from (+/-)-styrene oxide hydrolysis by cocatalysis using NcsF2 and SgcF, the complementary epoxide hydrolase from the C-1027 biosynthetic pathway.

Characterization of the SgcF Epoxide Hydrolase Supporting an (R)-Vicinal Diol Intermediate for Enediyne Antitumor Antibiotic C-1027 Biosynthesis

C-1027 is a chromoprotein antitumor antibiotic consisting of an apoprotein and the C-1027 chromophore. The C-1027 chromophore possesses four distinct structural moieties-an enediyne core, a deoxy aminosugar, a benzoxazolinate, and an (S)-3-chloro-5-hydroxy-beta-tyrosine-the latter two of which are proposed to be appended to the enediyne core via a convergent biosynthetic strategy. Here we report the in vitro characterization of SgcF, an epoxide hydrolase from the C-1027 biosynthetic gene cluster that catalyzes regio- and stereospecific hydrolysis of styrene oxide, serving as an enediyne core epoxide intermediate mimic, to form a vicinal diol. Abolishment of C-1027 production in the DeltasgcF mutant strain Streptomyces globisporus SB1010 unambiguously establishes that sgcF plays an indispensable role in C-1027 biosynthesis. SgcF efficiently hydrolyzes (S)-styrene oxide, displaying an apparent K(m) of 0.6 +/- 0.1 mM and k(cat) of 48 +/- 1 min(-1), via attack at the alpha-position to exclusively generate the (R)-phenyl vicinal diol, consistent with the stereochemistry of the C-1027 chromophore. These findings support the role of SgcF in the proposed convergent pathway for C-1027 biosynthesis, unveiling an (R)-vicinal diol as a key intermediate. Interestingly, SgcF can also hydrolyze (R)-styrene oxide to afford preferentially the (R)-phenyl vicinal diol via attack at the beta-position, albeit with significantly reduced efficiency (apparent K(m) of 2.0 +/- 0.4 mM and k(cat) = 4.3 +/- 0.3 min(-1)). Although the latter activity unlikely contributes to C-1027 biosynthesis in vivo, such enantioconvergence arising from complementary regioselective hydrolysis of a racemic substrate could be exploited to engineer epoxide hydrolases with improved regio- and/or enantiospecificity.

Cloning and characterization of an epoxide hydrolase from Novosphingobium aromaticivorans

A gene encoding a putative epoxide hydrolase (EHase) was identified by analyzing an open reading frame of the genome sequence of Novosphingobium aromaticivorans, retaining the conserved catalytic residues such as the catalytic triad (Asp177, Glu328, and His355) and the oxyanion hole. The enantioselective EHase gene (neh) was cloned, and the recombinant EHase could be purified to apparent homogeneity by one step of metal affinity chromatography and further characterized. The purified N. aromaticivorans enantioselective epoxide hydrolase (NEH) showed enantioselective hydrolysis toward styrene oxide, glycidyl phenyl ether, epoxybutane, and epichlorohydrin. The optimal EHase activity toward styrene oxide occurred at pH 6.5 and 45 degrees C. The purified NEH could preferentially hydrolyze (R)-styrene oxide with enantiomeric excess of more than 99% and 11.7% yield after 20-min incubation at an optimal condition. The enantioselective hydrolysis of styrene oxide was also confirmed by the analysis of the vicinal diol, 1-phenyl-1,2-ethanediol. The hydrolyzing rates of the purified NEH toward epoxide substrates were not affected by as high as 100 mM racemic styrene oxide.

Cloning and characterization of three epoxide hydrolases from a marine bacterium, Erythrobacter litoralis HTCC2594

Previously, we reported that ten strains belonging to Erythrobacter showed epoxide hydrolase (EHase) activities toward various epoxide substrates. Three genes encoding putative EHases were identified by analyzing open reading frames of Erythrobacter litoralis HTCC2594. Despite low similarities to reported EHases, the phylogenetic analysis of the three genes showed that eeh1 was similar to microsomal EHase, while eeh2 and eeh3 could be grouped with soluble EHases. The three EHase genes were cloned, and the recombinant proteins (rEEH1, rEEH2, and rEEH3) were purified. The functionality of purified proteins was proved by hydrolytic activities toward styrene oxide. EEH1 preferentially hydrolyzed (R)-styrene oxide, whereas EEH3 preferred to hydrolyze (S)-styrene oxide, representing enantioselective hydrolysis of styrene oxide. On the other hand, EEH2 could hydrolyze (R)- and (S)-styrene oxide at an equal rate. The optimal pH and temperature for the EHases occurred largely at neutral pHs and 40-55 degrees C. The substrate selectivity of rEEH1, rEEH2, and rEEH3 toward various epoxide substrates were also investigated. This is the first representation that a strict marine microorganism possessed three EHases with different enantioselectivity toward styrene oxide.

Optimisation of the biocatalytic resolution of styrene oxide by whole cells of Rhodotorula glutinis

Various studies have described the optimisation of the hydrolysis of epoxides through epoxide hydrolase, however, far fewer have investigated the specific application of whole cells containing the enzyme. For this reason the enantioselective biocatalytic hydrolysis of styrene oxide by Rhodotorula glutinis UOFS Y-0653 through the use of whole cells was explored. It was found that a pH of 7.2, temperature of 45 °C and an initial substrate concentration of 50 mM led to maximum enzymatic activity. The whole cells were resistant to a changing environment. High temperatures were found to increase enzymatic activity but decrease enantioselectivity. At low temperatures (15 °C) enantioselectivity was significantly increased leading to an increase in both enantiopure substrate yield and the enantiomeric excess of both the substrate and product. No substrate inhibition was observed at initial substrate concentrations as high as 100 mM. The low deactivation energy (85.2 kJ/mol) obtained for this hydrolysis reaction suggests thermal instability of the enzyme. No significant effect on the reaction was observed when using unbuffered water instead of phosphate buffer as reaction medium.

Enantioselective hydrolysis of styrene oxide with the epoxide hydrolase of Sphingomonas sp. HXN-200

The soluble bacterial epoxide hydrolase (EH) from Sphingomonas sp. HXN-200 catalyzed the enantioselective hydrolysis of racemic styrene oxide to give (S)-styrene oxide with an enantiomeric ratio (E) of 21–23 in aqueous buffer, better than any reported native EHs. The ring opening of the styrene oxide with this EH was only at the terminal position for the (S)-enantiomer and at the terminal and benzylic position in an 87:13 ratio for the (R)-enantiomer. Enzymatic hydrolysis of the styrene oxide in a two-liquid phase system significantly reduced autohydrolysis, thus improving the E to 26–29. Hydrolysis of 160mM styrene oxide with cell-free extract (CFE) of Sphingomonas sp. HXN-200 (10mg protein/mL) in aqueous buffer and n-hexane (1:1) for 30.7h afforded 39.2% (62.7mM) of (S)-styrene oxide in >99.9% ee. The lyophilized CFE was proven to be stable, while the rehydrated lyophilized CFE powder was successfully used for the hydrolysis of 320mM styrene oxide in the two-liquid phase system, yielding 40.2% (128.6mM) of (S)-styrene oxide in >99.9% ee after 13.8h. No inhibitory effect of the diol product on the hydrolysis was observed when the diol concentration was lower than 476mM, suggesting a straightforward process for the hydrolysis of up to 1M styrene oxide.

Protein Engineering of Epoxide Hydrolase from Agrobacterium radiobacter AD1 for Enhanced Activity and Enantioselective Production of ( R )-1-Phenylethane-1,2-Diol

DNA shuffling and saturation mutagenesis of positions F108, L190, I219, D235, and C248 were used to generate variants of the epoxide hydrolase of Agrobacterium radiobacter AD1 (EchA) with enhanced enantioselectivity and activity for styrene oxide and enhanced activity for 1,2-epoxyhexane and epoxypropane. EchA variant I219F has more than fivefold-enhanced enantioselectivity toward racemic styrene oxide, with the enantiomeric ratio value (E value) for the production of (R)-1-phenylethane-1,2-diol increased from 17 for the wild-type enzyme to 91, as well as twofold-improved activity for the production of (R)-1-phenylethane-1,2-diol (1.96 +/- 0.09 versus 1.04 +/- 0.07 micromol/min/mg for wild-type EchA). Computer modeling indicated that this mutation significantly alters (R)-styrene oxide binding in the active site. Another three variants from EchA active-site engineering, F108L/C248I, I219L/C248I, and F108L/I219L/C248I, also exhibited improved enantioselectivity toward racemic styrene oxide in favor of production of the corresponding diol in the (R) configuration (twofold enhancement in their E values). Variant F108L/I219L/C248I also demonstrated 10-fold- and 2-fold-increased activity on 5 mM epoxypropane (24 +/- 2 versus 2.4 +/- 0.3 micromol/min/mg for the wild-type enzyme) and 5 mM 1,2-epoxyhexane (5.2 +/- 0.5 versus 2.6 +/- 0.0 micromol/min/mg for the wild-type enzyme). Both variants L190F (isolated from a DNA shuffling library) and L190Y (created from subsequent saturation mutagenesis) showed significantly enhanced activity for racemic styrene oxide hydrolysis, with 4.8-fold (8.6 +/- 0.3 versus 1.8 +/- 0.2 micromol/min/mg for the wild-type enzyme) and 2.7-fold (4.8 +/- 0.8 versus 1.8 +/- 0.2 micromol/min/mg for the wild-type enzyme) improvements, respectively. L190Y also hydrolyzed 1,2-epoxyhexane 2.5 times faster than the wild-type enzyme.