Stereoselective reduction of ethyl 4-chloro-3-oxobutanoate by Escherichia coli transformant cells coexpressing the aldehyde reductase and glucose dehydrogenase genes

Pushing the limits: Cyclodextrin-based intensification of bioreductions

The asymmetric reduction of ketones is a frequently used synthesis route towards chiral alcohols. Amongst available chemo- and biocatalysts the latter stand out in terms of product enantiopurity. Their application is, however, restricted by low reaction output, often rooted in limited enzyme stability under operational conditions. Here, addition of 2-hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin to bioreductions of o-chloroacetophenone enabled product concentrations of up to 29 % w/v at full conversion and 99.97 % e.e. The catalyst was an E. coli strain co-expressing NADH-dependent Candida tenuis xylose reductase and a yeast formate dehydrogenase for coenzyme recycling. Analysis of the lyophilized biocatalyst showed that E. coli cells were leaky with catalytic activity found as free-floating enzymes and associated with the biomass. The biocatalyst was stabilized and activated in the reaction mixture by 2-hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin. Substitution of the wild-type xylose reductase by a D51A mutant further improved bioreductions. In previous optimization strategies, hexane was added as second phase to protect the labile catalyst from adverse effects of hydrophobic substrate and product. The addition of 2-hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (11 % w/v) instead of hexane (20 % v/v) increased the yield on biocatalyst 6.3-fold. A literature survey suggests that bioreduction enhancement by addition of cyclodextrins is not restricted to specific enzyme classes, catalyst forms or substrates.

Magnetic combined cross-linked enzyme aggregates (Combi-CLEAs) for cofactor regeneration in the synthesis of chiral alcohol

Magnetic Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles were prepared and embedded into the Combi-CLEAs to produce the magnetic Combi-CLEAs in this work. The process for magnetic Combi-CLEAs preparation was optimized, and its properties were investigated. The optimum temperature, thermal stability and optimum pH of magnetic Combi-CLEAs were similar to those of Combi-CLEAs. The catalytic performance of magnetic Combi-CLEAs was tested with the biosynthesis of (S)-ethyl 4-chloro-3-hydroxybutyrate ((S)-CHBE). Magnetic Combi-CLEAs could tolerate higher substrate concentration in the biphasic system. The catalytic efficiency and long-term operational stability of magnetic Combi-CLEAs were obviously superior to those of Combi-CLEAs in both aqueous and biphasic systems. Embedding of magnetic Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles endowing rigidity contributed to these improvements. Furthermore, the preparation of magnetic Combi-CLEAs was easy, and its recovery during multiple batches of reactions could be fulfilled by magnetic field. Aforementioned advantages make the magnetic Combi-CLEAs hold obvious potential for industrial application.

Effect of cell permeability and dehydrogenase expression on octane activation by CYP153A6-based whole cell Escherichia coli catalysts

BACKGROUND

The regeneration of cofactors and the supply of alkane substrate are key considerations for the biocatalytic activation of hydrocarbons by cytochrome P450s. This study focused on the biotransformation of n-octane to 1-octanol using resting Escherichia coli cells expressing the CYP153A6 operon, which includes the electron transport proteins ferredoxin and ferredoxin reductase. Glycerol dehydrogenase was co-expressed with the CYP153A6 operon to investigate the effects of boosting cofactor regeneration. In order to overcome the alkane supply bottleneck, various chemical and physical approaches to membrane permeabilisation were tested in strains with or without additional dehydrogenase expression.

RESULTS

Dehydrogenase co-expression in whole cells did not improve product formation and reduced the stability of the system at high cell densities. Chemical permeabilisation resulted in initial hydroxylation rates that were up to two times higher than the whole cell system, but severely impacted biocatalyst stability. Mechanical cell breakage led to improved enzyme stability, but additional dehydrogenase expression was necessary to improve product formation. The best-performing system (in terms of final titres) consisted of mechanically ruptured cells expressing additional dehydrogenase. This system had an initial activity of 1.67 ± 0.12 U/g_DCW (32% improvement on whole cells) and attained a product concentration of 34.8 ± 1.6 mM after 24 h (22% improvement on whole cells). Furthermore, the system was able to maintain activity when biotransformation was extended to 72 h, resulting in a final product titre of 60.9 ± 1.1 mM.

CONCLUSIONS

This study suggests that CYP153A6 in whole cells is limited by coupling efficiencies rather than cofactor supply. However, the most significant limitation in the current system is hydrocarbon transport, with substrate import being the main determinant of hydroxylation rates, and product export playing a key role in system stability.

Efficient biosynthesis of ethyl (R)-4-chloro-3-hydroxybutyrate using a stereoselective carbonyl reductase from Burkholderia gladioli

Background

Ethyl (R)-4-chloro-3-hydroxybutyrate ((R)-CHBE) is a versatile chiral precursor for many pharmaceuticals. Although several biosynthesis strategies have been documented to convert ethyl 4-chloro-3-oxobutanoate (COBE) to (R)-CHBE, the catalytic efficiency and stereoselectivity are still too low to be scaled up for industrial applications. Due to the increasing demand of (R)-CHBE, it is essential to explore more robust biocatalyst capable of preparing (R)-CHBE efficiently.

Results

A stereoselective carbonyl reductase toolbox was constructed and employed into the asymmetric reduction of COBE to (R)-CHBE. A robust enzyme designed as BgADH3 from Burkholderia gladioli CCTCC M 2012379 exhibited excellent activity and enantioselectivity, and was further characterized and investigated in the asymmetric synthesis of (R)-CHBE. An economical and satisfactory enzyme-coupled cofactor recycling system was created using recombinant Escherichia coli cells co-expressing BgADH3 and glucose dehydrogenase genes to regenerate NADPH in situ. In an aqueous/octanol biphasic system, as much as 1200 mmol COBE was completely converted by using substrate fed-batch strategy to afford (R)-CHBE with 99.9 % ee at a space-time yield per gram of biomass of 4.47 mmol∙L⁻¹∙h⁻¹∙g DCW⁻¹.

Conclusions

These data demonstrate the promising of BgADH3 in practical synthesis of (R)-CHBE as a valuable chiral synthon. This study allows for the further application of BgADH3 in the biosynthesis of chiral alcohols, and establishes a preparative scale process for producing (R)-CHBE with excellent enantiopurity.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12896-016-0301-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

NADPH-generating systems in bacteria and archaea

Reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) is an essential electron donor in all organisms. It provides the reducing power that drives numerous anabolic reactions, including those responsible for the biosynthesis of all major cell components and many products in biotechnology. The efficient synthesis of many of these products, however, is limited by the rate of NADPH regeneration. Hence, a thorough understanding of the reactions involved in the generation of NADPH is required to increase its turnover through rational strain improvement. Traditionally, the main engineering targets for increasing NADPH availability have included the dehydrogenase reactions of the oxidative pentose phosphate pathway and the isocitrate dehydrogenase step of the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle. However, the importance of alternative NADPH-generating reactions has recently become evident. In the current review, the major canonical and non-canonical reactions involved in the production and regeneration of NADPH in prokaryotes are described, and their key enzymes are discussed. In addition, an overview of how different enzymes have been applied to increase NADPH availability and thereby enhance productivity is provided.

Construction of allitol synthesis pathway by multi-enzyme coexpression in Escherichia coli and its application in allitol production

An engineered strain for the conversion of D-fructose to allitol was developed by constructing a multi-enzyme coupling pathway and cofactor recycling system in Escherichia coli. D-Psicose-3-epimerase from Ruminococcus sp. and ribitol dehydrogenase from Klebsiella oxytoca were coexpressed to form the multi-enzyme coupling pathway for allitol production. The cofactor recycling system was constructed using the formate dehydrogenase gene from Candida methylica for continuous NADH supply. The recombinant strain produced 10.62 g/l allitol from 100 mM D-fructose. To increase the intracellular concentration of the substrate, the glucose/fructose facilitator gene from Zymomonas mobilis was incorporated into the engineered strain. The results showed that the allitol yield was enhanced significantly to 16.53 g/l with a conversion rate of 92 %. Through optimizing conversion conditions, allitol was produced effectively on a large scale by the whole-cell biotransformation system; the yield reached 48.62 g/l when 500 mM D-fructose was used as the substrate.

Enantioselective bioreductive preparation of chiral halohydrins employing two newly identified stereocomplementary reductases

Two robust stereocomplementary carbonyl reductases (DhCR andCgCR) for preparation of hylohydrins were identified through rescreening the carbonyl reductase toolbox.

Characterization and identification of three novel aldo-keto reductases from Lodderomyces elongisporus for reducing ethyl 4-chloroacetoacetate

Lodderomyces elongisporus LH703 isolated from soil samples contained three novel aldo-keto reductases (AKRs) (LEAKR 48, LEAKR 49, and LEAKR 50). The three enzymes were cloned, expressed, and purified to homogeneity for characterization. These three AKRs shared <40% amino acid identity with each other. LEAKR 50 was identified as a member of AKR3 family, whereas the other two LEAKRs were identified as members of two novel AKR families, respectively. All the three AKRs required nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate as a cofactor. However, they showed diverse characteristics, including optimum catalyzing conditions, resistance to adverse reaction conditions, and substrate specificity. LEAKR 50 was estimated to be a promising biocatalyst that could reduce ethyl 4-chloroacetoacetate with high enantiomeric excess (98% e. e.) and high activity residue under adverse conditions.

Fate and metabolism of tetrabromobisphenol A in soil slurries without and with the amendment with the alkylphenol degrading bacterium Sphingomonas sp. strain TTNP3

Transformation of ring-(14)C-labelled tetrabromobisphenol-A (TBBPA) was studied in an oxic soil slurry with and without amendment with Sphingomonas sp. strain TTNP3, a bacterium degrading bisphenol-A. TBBPA degradation was accompanied by mineralization and formation of metabolites and bound-residues. The biotransformation was stimulated in the slurry bio-augmented with strain TTNP3, via a mechanism of metabolic compensation, although this strain did not grow on TBBPA. In the absence and presence of strain TTNP3, six and nine metabolites, respectively, were identified. The initial O-methylation metabolite (TBBPA-monomethyl ether) and hydroxytribromobisphenol-A were detected only when strain TTNP3 was present. Four primary metabolic pathways of TBBPA in the slurries are proposed: oxidative skeletal rearrangements, O-methylation, ipso-substitution, and reductive debromination. Our study provides for the first time the information about the complex metabolism of TBBPA in oxic soil and suggests that type II ipso-substitution could play a significant role in the fate of alkylphenol derivatives in the environment.

De novo comparative transcriptome analysis of Acremonium chrysogenum: high-yield and wild-type strains of cephalosporin C producer

β-lactam antibiotics are widely used in clinic. Filamentous fungus Acremonium chrysogenum is an important industrial fungus for the production of CPC, one of the major precursors of β-lactam antibiotics. Although its fermentation yield has been bred significantly over the past decades, little is known regarding molecular changes between the industrial strain and the wild type strain. This limits the possibility to improve CPC production further by molecular breeding. Comparative transcriptome is a powerful tool to understand the molecular mechanisms of CPC industrial high yield producer compared to wild type. A total of 57 million clean sequencing reads with an average length of 100 bp were generated from Illumina sequencing platform. 22,878 sequences were assembled. Among the assembled unigenes, 9502 were annotated and 1989 annotated sequences were assigned to 121 pathways by searching against the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway (KEGG) database. Furthermore, we compared the transcriptome differences between a high-yield and a wild-type strain during fermentation. A total of 4329 unigenes with significantly different transcription level were identified, among which 1737 were up-regulated and 2592 were down-regulated. 24 pathways were subsequently determined which involve glycerolipid metabolism, galactose metabolism, and pyrimidine metabolism. We also examined the transcription levels of 18 identified genes, including 11 up-regulated genes and 7 down-regulated genes using reverse transcription quantitative -PCR (RT-qPCR). The results of RT-qPCR were consistent with the Illumina sequencing. In this study, the Illumina sequencing provides the most comprehensive sequences for gene expression profile of Acremonium chrysogenum and allows de novo transcriptome assembly while lacking genome information. Comparative analysis of RNA-seq data reveals the complexity of the transcriptome in the fermentation of different yield strains. This is an important public information platform which could be used to accelerate the research to improve CPC production in Acremonium chrysogenum.

Combined cross-linked enzyme aggregates (combi-CLEAs) for efficient integration of a ketoreductase and a cofactor regeneration system

An alternative strategy for cofactor regeneration in the synthesis of valuable chiral alcohols catalyzed by ketoreductases was developed. combi-CLEAs of ketoreductase and d-glucose dehydrogenase enabled the repeated and effective conversion of substrate ethyl 4-chloro-3-oxobutanoate (COBE) with several superiorities. Wide application of this strategy in production of various chiral alcohols could be expected in the future for its high efficiency with low cost.

Efficicent (R)-phenylethanol production with enantioselectivity-alerted (S)-carbonyl reductase II and NADPH regeneration

The NADPH-dependent (S)-carbonyl reductaseII from Candida parapsilosis catalyzes acetophenone to chiral phenylethanol in a very low yield of 3.2%. Site-directed mutagenesis was used to design two mutants Ala220Asp and Glu228Ser, inside or adjacent to the substrate-binding pocket. Both mutations caused a significant enantioselectivity shift toward (R)-phenylethanol in the reduction of acetophenone. The variant E228S produced (R)-phenylethanol with an optical purity above 99%, in 80.2% yield. The E228S mutation resulted in a 4.6-fold decrease in the K M value, but nearly 5-fold and 21-fold increases in the k cat and k cat/K M values with respect to the wild type. For NADPH regeneration, Bacillus sp. YX-1 glucose dehydrogenase was introduced into the (R)-phenylethanol pathway. A coexpression system containing E228S and glucose dehydrogenase was constructed. The system was optimized by altering the coding gene order on the plasmid and using the Shine-Dalgarno sequence and the aligned spacing sequence as a linker between them. The presence of glucose dehydrogenase increased the NADPH concentration slightly and decreased NADP(+) pool 2- to 4-fold; the NADPH/NADP(+) ratio was improved 2- to 5-fold. The recombinant Escherichia coli/pET-MS-SD-AS-G, with E228S located upstream and glucose dehydrogenase downstream, showed excellent performance, giving (R)-phenylethanol of an optical purity of 99.5 % in 92.2% yield in 12 h in the absence of an external cofactor. When 0.06 mM NADP(+) was added at the beginning of the reaction, the reaction duration was reduced to 1 h. Optimization of the coexpression system stimulated an over 30-fold increase in the yield of (R)-phenylethanol, and simultaneously reduced the reaction time 48-fold compared with the wild-type enzyme. This report describes possible mechanisms for alteration of the enantiopreferences of carbonyl reductases by site mutation, and cofactor rebalancing pathways for efficient chiral alcohols production.

Production of (R)-3-quinuclidinol by E. coli biocatalysts possessing NADH-dependent 3-quinuclidinone reductase (QNR or bacC) from Microbacterium luteolum and Leifsonia alcohol dehydrogenase (LSADH)

We found two NADH-dependent reductases (QNR and bacC) in Microbacterium luteolum JCM 9174 (M. luteolum JCM 9174) that can reduce 3-quinuclidinone to optically pure (R)-(−)-3-quinuclidinol. Alcohol dehydrogenase from Leifsonia sp. (LSADH) was combined with these reductases to regenerate NAD⁺ to NADH in situ in the presence of 2-propanol as a hydrogen donor. The reductase and LSADH genes were efficiently expressed in E. coli cells. A number of constructed E. coli biocatalysts (intact or immobilized) were applied to the resting cell reaction and optimized. Under the optimized conditions, (R)-(−)-3-quinuclidinol was synthesized from 3-quinuclidinone (15% w/v, 939 mM) giving a conversion yield of 100% for immobilized QNR. The optical purity of the (R)-(−)-3-quinuclidinol produced by the enzymatic reactions was >99.9%. Thus, E. coli biocatalysis should be useful for the practical production of the pharmaceutically important intermediate, (R)-(−)-3-quinuclidinol.

Cross-linked protein complex exhibiting asymmetric oxidation activities in the absence of added cofactor

A protein complex (PC) suspension exhibits asymmetric biooxidation activities in the absence of any added cofactor such as NAD(P)(+) or FAD. It can be extracted from pea protein (PP)-gel (PP encapsulated with Ca(2+) alginate gel and aerated in air for several hours) using hot water by rotary shaking and powdered by the following three steps: (1) forming precipitates from the suspension using 30% (w/v) aqueous (NH(4) )(2) SO(4) , (2) crosslinking the precipitates with 0.25% (v/v) GA, and (3) preparing the cross-linked powder by freeze-drying. The cross-linked PC (CLPC) performed asymmetric oxidation of the toward (R)-isomers of rac-1 and rac-2 in 50 mM glycine-NaOH (pH 9.0) buffer/DMSO cosolvent [2.07% (v/v)] with high enantioselectivity; thus, the (S)-isomers can be obtained in greater than 99% ee from the corresponding rac-p-substituted naphthyl methyl carbinol (rac-1 and rac-2). The CLPC activity was not only competitively inhibited by addition of either 1.0 mM ZnCl(2) or a chelating agent such as 1.0 mM EDTA but also denatured by pretreatments: autoclaving at 121°C (20 min) or using 6.0 M guanidine-HCl containing 50 mM DTT. These results indicated that the PC catalytic process may utilize an electron transfer system incorporating a redox cation (e.g., Fe(2+) ⇄ Fe(3+) or Zn). Therefore, the newly introduced CLPC can asymmetrically oxidize the substrates without the addition of any cofactor resulting in a low-cost organic method. Overall, our results show that the CLPC is an easily prepared, low-cost reagent that can function under mild conditions and afford stereoselectivity, regioselectivity, and substrate specificity.

Construction of microbial platform for an energy-requiring bioprocess: practical 2'-deoxyribonucleoside production involving a C-C coupling reaction with high energy substrates

BACKGROUND

Reproduction and sustainability are important for future society, and bioprocesses are one technology that can be used to realize these concepts. However, there is still limited variation in bioprocesses and there are several challenges, especially in the operation of energy-requiring bioprocesses. As an example of a microbial platform for an energy-requiring bioprocess, we established a process that efficiently and enzymatically synthesizes 2'-deoxyribonucleoside from glucose, acetaldehyde, and a nucleobase. This method consists of the coupling reactions of the reversible nucleoside degradation pathway and energy generation through the yeast glycolytic pathway.

RESULTS

Using E. coli that co-express deoxyriboaldolase and phosphopentomutase, a high amount of 2'-deoxyribonucleoside was produced with efficient energy transfer under phosphate-limiting reaction conditions. Keeping the nucleobase concentration low and the mixture at a low reaction temperature increased the yield of 2'-deoxyribonucleoside relative to the amount of added nucleobase, indicating that energy was efficiently generated from glucose via the yeast glycolytic pathway under these reaction conditions. Using a one-pot reaction in which small amounts of adenine, adenosine, and acetone-dried yeast were fed into the reaction, 75 mM of 2'-deoxyinosine, the deaminated product of 2'-deoxyadenosine, was produced from glucose (600 mM), acetaldehyde (250 mM), adenine (70 mM), and adenosine (20 mM) with a high yield relative to the total base moiety input (83%). Moreover, a variety of natural dNSs were further synthesized by introducing a base-exchange reaction into the process.

CONCLUSION

A critical common issue in energy-requiring bioprocess is fine control of phosphate concentration. We tried to resolve this problem, and provide the convenient recipe for establishment of energy-requiring bioprocesses. It is anticipated that the commercial demand for dNSs, which are primary metabolites that accumulate at very low levels in the metabolic pool, will grow. The development of an efficient production method for these compounds will have a great impact in both fields of applied microbiology and industry and will also serve as a good example of a microbial platform for energy-requiring bioprocesses.

A novel reductase from Candida albicans for the production of ethyl (S)-4-chloro-3-hydroxybutanoate

A novel NADPH-dependent reductase (CaCR) from Candida albicans was cloned for the first time. It catalyzed asymmetric reduction to produce ethyl (S)-4-chloro-3-hydroxybutanoate ((S)-CHBE). It contained an open reading frame of 843 bp encoding 281 amino acids. When co-expressed with a glucose dehydrogenase in Escherichia coli, recombinant CaCR exhibited an activity of 5.7 U/mg with ethyl 4-chloro-3-oxobutanoate (COBE) as substrate. In the biocatalysis of COBE to (S)-CHBE, 1320 mM (S)-CHBE was obtained without extra NADP+/NADPH in a water/butyl acetate system, and the optical purity of the (S)-isomer was higher than 99% enantiomeric excess.

Biochemical characterisation of a NADPH-dependent carbonyl reductase from Neurospora crassa reducing α- and β-keto esters

A gene encoding an NADPH-dependent carbonyl reductase from Neurospora crassa (nccr) was cloned and heterologously expressed in Escherichia coli. The enzyme (NcCR) was purified and biochemically characterised. NcCR exhibited a restricted substrate spectrum towards various ketones, and the highest activity (468U/mg) was observed with dihydroxyacetone. However, NcCR proved to be very selective in the reduction of different α- and β-keto esters. Several compounds were converted to the corresponding hydroxy ester in high enantiomeric excess (ee) at high conversion rates. The enantioselectivity of NcCR for the reduction of ethyl 4-chloro-3-oxobutanoate showed a strong dependence on temperature. This effect was studied in detail, revealing that the ee could be substantially increased by decreasing the temperature from 40 °C (78.8%) to -3 °C (98.0%). When the experimental conditions were optimised to improve the optical purity of the product, (S)-4-chloro-3-hydroxybutanoate (ee 98.0%) was successfully produced on a 300 mg (1.8 mmol) scale using NcCR at -3 °C.

Biosynthesis of (S)-4-chloro-3-hydroxybutanoate ethyl using Escherichia coli co-expressing a novel NADH-dependent carbonyl reductase and a glucose dehydrogenase

A novel NADH-dependent carbonyl reductase (PsCR II) gene with an open reading frame of 855bp encoding 285 amino acids was cloned from Pichia stipitis. Analysis of the amino acid sequence of PsCR II revealed less than 55% identity to known reductases that produce (S)-4-chloro-3-hydroxybutanoates ethyl [(S)-CHBE]. When NADH was provided as an electron donor, Escherichia coli with pET-22b-PsCRII exhibited an activity of 15U/mg protein using 4-chloro-3-oxobutanoate ethyl (COBE) as a substrate. This activity was the highest ever reported for reductases, with the exception of PsCR I, which in our previous analysis required NADPH for catalysis. Biocatalysis of COBE to (S)-CHBE was investigated using E. coli with a polycistronic plasmid pET-BP II co-expressing PsCR II and a glucose dehydrogenase in a water/butyl acetate system for 24h. The transformants gave a molar yield of 91%, and an optical purity of the (S)-isomer of higher than 99% enantiomeric excess.

Construction and co-expression of a polycistronic plasmid encoding carbonyl reductase and glucose dehydrogenase for production of ethyl (S)-4-chloro-3-hydroxybutanoate

Biocatalysis of ethyl 4-chloro-3-oxobutanoate (COBE) to ethyl (S)-4-chloro-3-hydroxybutanoate [(S)-CHBE] was carried out using Escherichia coli co-expressing a carbonyl reductase gene from Pichia stipitis and a glucose dehydrogenase gene from Bacillus megaterium. An efficient polycistronic plasmid with a high-level of enzyme co-expression was constructed by changing the order of the genes, altering the Shine-Dalgarno (SD) regions, and aligned spacing (AS) between the SD sequence and the translation initiation codon. The optimal SD sequence was 5-TAAGGAGG-3, and the optimal AS distance was eight nucleotides. Asymmetric reduction of COBE to (S)-CHBE with more than 99% enantiomeric excess was demonstrated by transformants, using a water/ethyl caprylate system. The recombinant cells produced 1260 mM product in the organic phase, and the total turnover number, defined as moles (S)-CHBE formed per mole NADP(+), was 12,600, which was more than 10-fold higher than in aqueous systems.

Characterization of a whole-cell catalyst co-expressing glycerol dehydrogenase and glucose dehydrogenase and its application in the synthesis of L-glyceraldehyde

A whole-cell catalyst using Escherichia coli BL21(DE3) as a host, co-expressing glycerol dehydrogenase (GlyDH) from Gluconobacter oxydans and glucose dehydrogenase (GDH) from Bacillus subtilis for cofactor regeneration, has been successfully constructed and used for the reduction of aliphatic aldehydes, such as hexanal or glyceraldehyde to the corresponding alcohols. This catalyst was characterized in terms of growth conditions, temperature and pH dependency, and regarding the influence of external cofactor and permeabilization. In the case of external cofactor addition we found a 4.6-fold increase in reaction rate caused by the addition of 1 mM NADP(+). Due to the fact that pH and temperature are also factors which may affect the reaction rate, their effect on the whole-cell catalyst was studied as well. Comparative studies between the whole-cell catalyst and the cell-free system were investigated. Furthermore, the successful application of the whole-cell catalyst in repetitive batch conversions could be demonstrated in the present study. Since the GlyDH was recently characterized and successfully applied in the kinetic resolution of racemic glyceraldehyde, we were now able to transfer and establish the process to a whole-cell system, which facilitated the access to L-glyceraldehyde in high enantioselectivity at 54% conversion. All in all, the whole-cell catalyst shows several advantages over the cell-free system like a higher thermal, a similar operational stability and the ability to recycle the catalyst without any loss-of-activity. The results obtained making the described whole-cell catalyst an improved catalyst for a more efficient production of enantiopure L-glyceraldehyde.

Improved synthesis of (S)-1-phenyl-2-propanol in high concentration with coupled whole cells of Rhodococcus erythropolis and Bacillus subtilis on preparative scale

Bioreduction of 1-phenyl-2-propanone to prepare (S)-1-phenyl-2-propanol, a useful pharmaceutical intermediate, was performed with growing cells of Rhodococcus erythropolis JX-021, giving 14 mM (1.9 g/L) product in 99% e.e. at 5 h in the catalysis of 15 mM substrate. The reduction stopped afterwards due to strong inhibition of substrate and formed product, a problem that is often encountered in biotransformation. While the substrate inhibition was solved by stepwise feeding, product inhibition was tackled by different methods: repeated removal of the product by centrifugation, by absorption with Amberlite XAD-7 resin, and by the use of dodecanol as the second phase gave the final product in 58, 68, and 61 mM in the catalysis of 80 mM substrate, respectively. The inhibition was caused by the partial permeabilization of cell membrane of R. erythropolis JX-021, and addition of NADPH or glucose 6-phosphate to such cell culture retained the reduction activity. Therefore, higher productivity in the reduction of 1 with resting cells of R. erythropolis JX-021 was achieved through cofactor regeneration and recycling by the addition of glucose and permeabilized cells of Bacillus subtilis BGSC 1A1 containing a glucose dehydrogenase, giving the product in 62 mM without addition of cofactor and 78 mM with the addition of 0.01 mM NADP(+) in the catalysis of 120 mM substrate. The product e.e. retained 99% during the process which showed industrial possibility.

Regeneration of nicotinamide coenzymes: principles and applications for the synthesis of chiral compounds

Dehydrogenases which depend on nicotinamide coenzymes are of increasing interest for the preparation of chiral compounds, either by reduction of a prochiral precursor or by oxidative resolution of their racemate. The regeneration of oxidized and reduced nicotinamide cofactors is a very crucial step because the use of these cofactors in stoichiometric amounts is too expensive for application. There are several possibilities to regenerate nicotinamide cofactors: established methods such as formate/formate dehydrogenase (FDH) for the regeneration of NADH, recently developed electrochemical methods based on new mediator structures, or the application of gene cloning methods for the construction of "designed" cells by heterologous expression of appropriate genes.A very promising approach is enzymatic cofactor regeneration. Only a few enzymes are suitable for the regeneration of oxidized nicotinamide cofactors. Glutamate dehydrogenase can be used for the oxidation of NADH as well as NADPH while L: -lactate dehydrogenase is able to oxidize NADH only. The reduction of NAD(+) is carried out by formate and FDH. Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase and glucose dehydrogenase are able to reduce both NAD(+) and NADP(+). Alcohol dehydrogenases (ADHs) are either NAD(+)- or NADP(+)-specific. ADH from horse liver, for example, reduces NAD(+) while ADHs from Lactobacillus strains catalyze the reduction of NADP(+). These enzymes can be applied by their inclusion in whole cell biotransformations with an NAD(P)(+)-dependent primary reaction to achieve in situ the regeneration of the consumed cofactor.Another efficient method for the regeneration of nicotinamide cofactors is the electrochemical approach. Cofactors can be regenerated directly, for example at a carbon anode, or indirectly involving mediators such as redox catalysts based on transition-metal complexes.An increasing number of examples in technical scale applications are known where nicotinamide dependent enzymes were used together with cofactor regenerating enzymes.