D-lactate dehydrogenase. Substrate specificity and use as a catalyst in the synthesis of homochiral 2-hydroxy acids

Biocatalytic Synthesis of Homochiral 2-Hydroxy-4-butyrolactone Derivatives by Tandem Aldol Addition and Carbonyl Reduction

Chiral 2-hydroxy acids and 2-hydroxy-4-butyrolactone derivatives are structural motifs often found in fine and commodity chemicals. Here, we report a tandem biocatalytic stereodivergent route for the preparation of these compounds using three stereoselective aldolases and two stereocomplementary ketoreductases using simple and achiral starting materials. The strategy comprises (i) aldol addition reaction of 2-oxoacids to aldehydes using two aldolases from E. coli, 3-methyl-2-oxobutanoate hydroxymethyltransferase (KPHMT _Ecoli ), 2-keto-3-deoxy-l-rhamnonate aldolase (YfaU _Ecoli ), and trans-o-hydroxybenzylidene pyruvate hydratase-aldolase from Pseudomonas putida (HBPA _Pputida ) and (ii) subsequent 2-oxogroup reduction of the aldol adduct by ketopantoate reductase from E. coli (KPR _Ecoli ) and a Δ¹-piperidine-2-carboxylate/Δ¹-pyrroline-2-carboxylate reductase from Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato DSM 50315 (DpkA _Psyrin ) with uncovered promiscuous ketoreductase activity. A total of 29 structurally diverse compounds were prepared: both enantiomers of 2-hydroxy-4-butyrolactone (>99% ee), 21 2-hydroxy-3-substituted-4-butyrolactones with the (2R,3S), (2S,3S), (2R,3R), or (2S,3R) configuration (from 60:40 to 98:2 dr), and 6 2-hydroxy-4-substituted-4-butyrolactones with the (2S,4R) configuration (from 87:13 to 98:2 dr). Conversions of aldol adducts varied from 32 to 98%, while quantitative conversions were achieved by both ketoreductases, with global isolated yields between 20 and 45% for most of the examples. One-pot one-step cascade reactions were successfully conducted achieving isolated yields from 30 to 57%.

Glyoxylate protects against cyanide toxicity through metabolic modulation

Although cyanide's biological effects are pleiotropic, its most obvious effects are as a metabolic poison. Cyanide potently inhibits cytochrome c oxidase and potentially other metabolic enzymes, thereby unleashing a cascade of metabolic perturbations that are believed to cause lethality. From systematic screens of human metabolites using a zebrafish model of cyanide toxicity, we have identified the TCA-derived small molecule glyoxylate as a potential cyanide countermeasure. Following cyanide exposure, treatment with glyoxylate in both mammalian and non-mammalian animal models confers resistance to cyanide toxicity with greater efficacy and faster kinetics than known cyanide scavengers. Glyoxylate-mediated cyanide resistance is accompanied by rapid pyruvate consumption without an accompanying increase in lactate concentration. Lactate dehydrogenase is required for this effect which distinguishes the mechanism of glyoxylate rescue as distinct from countermeasures based solely on chemical cyanide scavenging. Our metabolic data together support the hypothesis that glyoxylate confers survival at least in part by reversing the cyanide-induced redox imbalances in the cytosol and mitochondria. The data presented herein represent the identification of a potential cyanide countermeasure operating through a novel mechanism of metabolic modulation.

Inhibitory effects of arylcoumarin derivatives on Bacteroides fragilisd‑lactate dehydrogenase

Bacteroides fragilis is an anaerobic bacterium naturally hosted in the human colon flora. B. fragilisd‑lactate dehydrogenase (Bfd‑LDH) is an important enzyme which catalyzes the conversion of d‑lactate to pyruvate and regulates anaerobic glycolysis. In this study Bfd‑LDH has been targeted for structure based drug design. B. fragilisd‑lactate dehydrogenase has been expressed, purified and inhibitory activities of 25 coumarin derivatives previously synthetize for their antioxidant activity were evaluated. Among the 25 coumarin derivatives, compound 6a, 5l, and 6b exhibited the highest inhibitory activity with IC₅₀ values of 0,47 μM, 0,57 μM ve 0,057 μM, respectively. The results indicate that the mechanism by which 6a, 5l and 6b coumarin derivatives inhibit Bfd‑LDH by reversible non-competitive inhibition. Docking experiments were carried out to further explain the results and compare the theoretical and experimental affinity of these compounds to the Bfd‑LDH protein. According to docking results, all coumarins bind to the site occupied by pyruvate and the nicotinamide ring of NADH.

Seawater Acidification Reduced the Resistance of Crassostrea gigas to Vibrio splendidus Challenge: An Energy Metabolism Perspective

Negative physiological impacts induced by exposure to acidified seawater might sensitize marine organisms to future environmental stressors, such as disease outbreak. The goal of this study was to evaluate if ocean acidification (OA) could reduce the resistance capability of the Pacific oyster (Crassostrea gigas) to Vibrio splendidus challenge from an energy metabolism perspective. In this study, the Pacific oyster was exposed to OA (pH 7.6) for 28 days and then challenged by V. splendidus for another 72 h. Antioxidative responses, lipid peroxidation, metabolic (energy sensors, aerobic metabolism, and anaerobic metabolism) gene expression, glycolytic enzyme activity, and the content of energy reserves (glycogen and protein) were investigated to evaluate the environmental risk of pathogen infection under the condition of OA. Our results demonstrated that following the exposure to seawater acidification, oysters exhibited an energy modulation with slight inhibition of aerobic energy metabolism, stimulation of anaerobic metabolism, and increased glycolytic enzyme activity. However, the energy modulation ability and antioxidative regulation of oysters exposed to seawater acidification may be overwhelmed by a subsequent pathogen challenge, resulting in increased oxidative damage, decreased aerobic metabolism, stimulated anaerobic metabolism, and decreased energy reserves. Overall, although anaerobic metabolism was initiated to partially compensate for inhibited aerobic energy metabolism, increased oxidative damage combined with depleted energy reserves suggested that oysters were in an unsustainable bioenergetic state and were thereby incapable of supporting long-term population viability under conditions of seawater acidification and a pathogen challenge from V. splendidus.

Persistent metabolic acidosis in a hemodialyzed patient with short bowel syndrome

Short bowel syndrome (SBS) is characterized by a malabsorptive state. It is conceivable that the coexistence of SBS and end-stage renal disease can lead to severe metabolic acidosis; however, such a condition has rarely been documented. We herein describe the case of a 64-year-old man with SBS who required maintenance hemodialysis. Persistent metabolic acidosis and mineral and bone disorders should be of particular concern in hemodialyzed patients with SBS.

Efficient conversion of 1,2-butanediol to (R)-2-hydroxybutyric acid using whole cells of Gluconobacter oxydans

(R)-2-Hydroxybutyric acid ((R)-2-HBA) is an important building block for azinothricin family of antitumour antibiotics and biodegradable poly(2-hydroxybutyric acid). However, optically active (R)-2-HBA could not be produced through microbial fermentation or chemical synthesis. Several biocatalytic methods have been reported for the production of (R)-2-HBA. Those processes used expensive and scarce substrates and would not be suitable for practical application. In this work, Gluconobacter oxydans DSM 2003 was confirmed to have the ability to produce (R)-2-HBA from 1,2-butanediol, a non-toxic and inexpensive compound that had a great potential for biotechnological processes. Under the optimal conditions, the biocatalytic process produced (R)-2-HBA at a high concentration (18.5 g l(-1)) and a high enantiomeric excess (99.7%). The biocatalysis process introduced in this study may provide a technically and economically interesting route for production of (R)-2-HBA.

Kinetic resolution of 2-hydroxybutanoate racemic mixtures by NAD-independent L-lactate dehydrogenase

Optically active D-2-hydroxybutanoate is an important building block intermediate for medicines and biodegradable poly(2-hydroxybutanoate). Kinetic resolution of racemic 2-hydroxybutanoate may be a green and desirable alternative for D-2-hydroxybutanoate production. In this work, D-2-hydroxybutanoate at a high concentration (0.197 M) and a high enantiomeric excess (99.1%) was produced by an NAD-independent L-lactate dehydrogenase (L-iLDH) containing biocatalyst. 2-Oxobutanoate, another important intermediate, was co-produced at a high concentration (0.193 M). Using a simple ion exchange process with the macroporous anion exchange resin D301, D-2-hydroxybutanoate was separated from the biotransformation system with a high recovery of 84.7%.

New alcohol dehydrogenases for the synthesis of chiral compounds

The enantioselective reduction of carbonyl groups is of interest for the production of various chiral compounds such as hydroxy acids, amino acids, hydroxy esters, or alcohols. Such products have high economic value and are most interesting as additives for food and feed or as building blocks for organic synthesis. Enzymatic reactions or biotransformations with whole cells (growing or resting) for this purpose are described. Although conversions with whole cells are advantageous with respect to saving expensive isolation of the desired enzymes, the products often lack high enantiomeric excess and the process results in low time-space-yield. For the synthesis of chiral alcohols, only lab-scale syntheses with commercially available alcohol dehydrogenases have been described yet. However, most of these enzymes are of limited use for technical applications because they lack substrate specificity, stability (yeast ADH) or enantioselectivity (Thermoanaerobium brockii ADH). Furthermore, all enzymes so far described are forming (S)-alcohols. Quite recently, we found and characterized several new bacterial alcohol dehydrogenases, which are suited for the preparation of chiral alcohols as well as for hydroxy esters in technical scale. Remarkably, of all these novel ADHs the (R)-specific enzymes were found in strains of the genus Lactobacillus. Meanwhile, these new enzymes were characterized extensively. Protein data (amino acid sequence, bound cations) confirm that these catalysts are novel enzymes. (R)-specific as well as (S)-specific ADHs accept a broad variety of ketones and ketoesters as substrates. The applicability of alcohol dehydrogenases for chiral syntheses as an example for the technical use of coenzyme-dependent enzymes is demonstrated and discussed in this contribution. In particular NAD-dependent enzymes coupled with the coenzyme regeneration by formate dehydrogenase proved to be economically feasible for the production of fine chemicals.

Knowledge-based modeling of the D-lactate dehydrogenase three-dimensional structure

A three-dimensional structure of the NAD-dependent D-lactate dehydrogenase of Lactobacillus bulgaricus is modeled using the structure of the formate dehydrogenase of Pseudomonas sp. as template. Both sequences share only 22% of identical residues. Regions for knowledge-based modeling are defined from the structurally conserved regions predicted by multiple alignment of a set of related protein sequences with low homology. The model of the D-LDH subunit shows, as for the formate dehydrogenase, an alpha/beta structure, with a catalytic domain and a coenzyme binding domain. It points out the catalytic histidine (His-296) and supports the hypothetical catalytic mechanism. It also suggests that the other residues involved in the active site are Arg-235, possibly involved in the binding of the carboxyl group of the pyruvate, and Phe-299, a candidate for stabilizing the methyl group of the substrate.