Enantioselective biocatalytic hydrolysis of (R,S)-mandelonitrile for production of (R)-(−)-mandelic acid by a newly isolated mutant strain

Green synthesis aspects of (R)-(-)-mandelic acid; a potent pharmaceutically active agent and its future prospects

(R)-(-)-mandelic acid is an important carboxylic acid known for its numerous potential applications in the pharmaceutical industry as it is an ideal starting material for the synthesis of antibiotics, antiobesity drugs and antitumor agents. In past few decades, the synthesis of (R)-(-)-mandelic acid has been undertaken mainly through the chemical route. However, chemical synthesis of optically pure (R)-(-)-mandelic acid is difficult to achieve at an industrial scale. Therefore, its microbe mediated production has gained considerable attention as it exhibits many merits over the chemical approaches. The present review focuses on various biotechnological strategies for the production of (R)-(-)-mandelic acid through microbial biotransformation and enzymatic catalysis; in particular, an analysis and comparison of the synthetic methods and different enzymes. The wild type as well as recombinant microbial strains for the production of (R)-(-)-mandelic acid have been elucidated. In addition, different microbial strategies used for maximum bioconversion of mandelonitrile into (R)-(-)-mandelic acid are discussed in detail with regard to higher substrate tolerance and maximum bioconversion.HighlightsMandelonitrile, mandelamide and o-chloromandelonitrile can be used as substrates to produce (R)-(-)-mandelic acid by enzymes.Three enzymes (nitrilase, nitrile hydratase and amidase) are systematically introduced for production of (R)-(-)-mandelic acid.Microbial transformation is able to produce optically pure (R)-(-)-mandelic acid with 100% productive yield.

Altering the Stereoselectivity of Whole-Cell Biotransformations via the Physicochemical Parameters Impacting the Processes

The enantioselective synthesis of organic compounds is one of the great challenges in organic synthetic chemistry due to its importance for the acquisition of biologically active derivatives, e.g., pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, and others. This is why biological systems are increasingly applied as tools for chiral compounds synthesis or modification. The use of whole cells of “wild-type” microorganisms is one possible approach, especially as some methods allow improving the conversion degrees and controlling the stereoselectivity of the reaction without the need to introduce changes at the genetic level. Simple manipulation of the culture conditions, the form of a biocatalyst, or the appropriate composition of the biotransformation medium makes it possible to obtain optically pure products in a cheap, safe, and environmentally friendly manner. This review contains selected examples of the influence of physicochemical factors on the stereochemistry of the biocatalytic preparation of enantiomerically pure compounds, which is undertaken through kinetically controlled separation of their racemic mixtures or reduction of prochiral ketones and has an effect on the final enantiomeric purity and enantioselectivity of the reaction.

Nitrilase: a promising biocatalyst in industrial applications for green chemistry

Nitrilases are widely distributed in nature and are able to hydrolyze nitriles into their corresponding carboxylic acids and ammonia. In industry, nitrilases have been used as green biocatalysts for the production of high value-added products. To date, biocatalysts are considered to be important alternatives to chemical catalysts due to increasing environmental problems and resource scarcity. This review provides an overview of recent advances of nitrilases in aspects of distribution, enzyme screening, molecular structure and catalytic mechanism, protein engineering, and their potential applications in industry.

A rapid throughput assay for screening (R)-2-(4-hydroxyphenoxy)propionic acid producing microbes

(R)-2-(4-hydroxyphenoxy)propionic acid ((R)-HPOPA) is an important intermediate for the synthesis of optically pure aryloxyphenoxypropionic acid herbicides. Regioselective hydroxylation of (R)-2-phenoxypropionic acid ((R)-POPA) by microbes is one of the most useful methods for the industrial production of (R)-HPOPA. In this study, we designed and optimized a rapid throughput assay for screening (R)-HPOPA producing bacterial/fungal strains which can regioselectively hydroxylate (R)-POPA. (R)-HPOPA could react with 4-aminoantipyrine (4-AAP) in the presence of potassium hexacyanoferrate (K₃[Fe(CN)₆]) to form indoxyl antipyrine, an orange-red chromophore, that can easily spectrophotometrically be determined at 550 nm. During the verification of the assay we observed an average recovery rate of between 97.3% and 104.5%. Apart from the rapid throughput, no obvious differences in detection (R)-HPOPA in the culture broth samples were found between our rapid throughput multiplate assay and a high-performance liquid chromatography method. Our optimized assay method is simple, rapid and accurate with high repeatability. It has the potential for high throughput screening (about 3000-5000 samples/day) of the (R)-HPOPA producing strains.

Nitrile-converting enzymes: an eco-friendly tool for industrial biocatalysis

Nitriles are organic compounds bearing a − C ≡ N group; they are frequently known to occur naturally in both fauna and flora and are also synthesized chemically. They have wide applicability in the fields of medicine, industry, and environmental monitoring. However, the majority of nitrile compounds are considered to be lethal, mutagenic, and carcinogenic in nature and are known to cause potential health problems such as nausea, bronchial irritation, respiratory distress, convulsions, coma, and skeletal deformities in humans. Nitrile-converting enzymes, which are extracted from microorganisms, are commonly termed nitrilases and have drawn the attention of researchers all over the world to combat the toxicity of nitrile compounds. The present review focuses on the utility of nitrile-converting enzymes, sources, classification, structure, properties, and applications, as well as the future perspective on nitrilases.

Efficient production of methionine from 2-amino-4-methylthiobutanenitrile by recombinant Escherichia coli harboring nitrilase

Methionine as an essential amino acid has been attracting more attention for its important applications in food and feed additives. In this study, for efficient production of methionine from 2-amino-4-methylthiobutanenitrile, a codon-optimized nitrilase gene was newly synthesized and expressed, and the catalytic conditions for methionine production were studied. The optimal temperature and pH for methionine synthesis were 40 °C and 7.5, respectively. The recombinant nitrilase was thermo-stable with half-life of 5.52 h at 40 °C. The substrate loading was optimized in given amount of catalyst and fixed substrate/catalyst ratio mode to achieve higher productivity. Methionine was produced in 100 % conversion within 120 min with a substrate loading of 300 mM. The production of methionine with the immobilized resting cells in packed-bed reactor was investigated. The immobilized nitrilase exhibited good operation stability and retained over 80 % of the initial activity after operating for 100 h. After separation, the purity and the total yield of methionine reached 99.1 and 97 %, respectively. This recombinant nitrilase could be a potential candidate for application in production of methionine.

Improvement of Alcaligenes faecalis nitrilase by gene site saturation mutagenesis and its application in stereospecific biosynthesis of (R)-(-)-mandelic acid

Nitrilases have recently received considerable attention as the biocatalysts for stereospecific production of carboxylic acids. To improve the activity, the nitrilase from Alcaligenes faecalis was selected for further modification by the gene site saturation mutagenesis method (GSSM), based on homology modeling and previous reports about mutations. After mutagenesis, the positive mutants were selected using a convenient two-step high-throughput screening method based on product formation and pH indicator combined with the HPLC method. After three rounds of GSSM, Mut3 (Gln196Ser/Ala284Ile) with the highest activity and ability of tolerance to the substrate was selected. As compared to the wild-type A. faecalis nitrilase, Mut3 showed 154% higher specific activity. Mut3 could retain 91.6% of its residual activity after incubation at pH 6.5 for 6 h. In a fed-batch reaction with 800 mM mandelonitrile as the substrate, the cumulative production of (R)-(-)-mandelic acid after 7.5 h of conversion reached 693 mM with an enantiomeric excess of 99%, and the space-time productivity of Mut3 was 21.50-fold higher than that of wild-type nitrilase. The Km, Vmax, and k(cat) of wild-type and Mut3 for mandelonitrile were 20.64 mM, 33.74 μmol mg(-1) min(-1), 24.45 s(-1), and 9.24 mM, 47.68 μmol mg(-1) min(-1), and 34.55 s(-1), respectively. A homology modeling and molecular docking study showed that the diameter of the catalytic tunnel of Mut3 became longer and that the tunnel volume was smaller. These structural changes are proposed to improve the hydrolytic activity and pH stability of Mut3. Mut3 has the potential for industrial applications in the upscale production of (R)-(-)-mandelic acid.

Concurrent obtaining of aromatic (R)-2-hydroxyacids and aromatic 2-ketoacids by asymmetric oxidation with a newly isolated Pseudomonas aeruginosa ZJB1125

Pseudomonas aeruginosa ZJB1125 harboring a stereoselective 2-hydroxyacid dehydrogenase (2-HADH) can catalyze asymmetric oxidation of mandelic acid and 2-chloromandelic acid into (R)-isomers and corresponding 2-ketoacids with high activity and enantioselectivity, while no consecutive oxidation of 2-ketoacids was observed during whole-cell catalysis. The 2-HADH in P. aeruginosa ZJB1125 is a FMN-dependent flavoprotein and did not require NAD(P)⁺ as cofactors to catalyze the oxidation reaction. Enzyme activity staining identified 2-HADH as the key enzyme that enantioselectively oxidized (S)-hydroxyacid to 2-ketoacid. The 2-HADH in P. aeruginosa ZJB1125 is inducible and 2-chloromandelic acid was found to induce its synthesis efficiently. The bacterium displayed pretty high activity and enantioselectivity for most of the aromatic 2-hydroxyacids examined, and have a potential for the concurrent obtaining of aromatic (R)-2-hydroxyacids and aromatic 2-ketoacids in near theoretical conversions. Using a simple organic extract process, aromatic (R)-2-hydroxyacids and aromatic 2-ketoacids can be effectively separated from the biocatalytic reaction mixture with high yield (>95%). This work provided a novel method for the concurrent obtaining of aromatic (R)-2-hydroxyacids and aromatic 2-ketoacids by oxidation of aromatic 2-hydroxyacids in one-step biotransformation, which would be a valuable process due to its high atom economy.

Enhancing nitrilase production from Fusarium proliferatum using response surface methodology

The individual and interactive effects of three independent variables i.e. carbon source (glucose), nitrogen source (sodium nitrate) and inducer (ϵ-caprolactam) on nitrilase production from Fusarium proliferatum were investigated using design of experiments (DOE) methodology. Response surface methodology (RSM) was followed to generate the process model and to obtain the optimal conditions for maximum nitrilase production. Based on central composite design (CCD) a quadratic model was found to fit the experimental data (p<0.0001) and maximum activity of 59.0U/g biomass was predicted at glucose concentration (53.22 g/l), sodium nitrate (2.31 g/l) and ϵ-caprolactam (3.58 g/l). Validation experiments were carried out under the optimized conditions for verification of the model. The nitrilase activity of 58.3U/g biomass obtained experimentally correlated to the predicted activity which proves the authenticity of the model. Overall 2.24 fold increase in nitrilase activity was achieved as compared to the activity before optimization (26U/g biomass).

Metagenomic technology and genome mining: emerging areas for exploring novel nitrilases

Nitrilase is one of the most important members in the nitrilase superfamily and it is widely used for bioproduction of commodity chemicals and pharmaceutical intermediates as well as bioremediation of nitrile-contaminated wastes. However, its application was hindered by several limitations. Searching for new nitrilases and improving their application performances are the driving force for researchers. Genetic data resources in various databases are quite rich in post-genomic era. Besides, more than 99 % of microbes in the environment are unculturable. Metagenomic technology and genome mining are thus becoming burgeoning areas and provide unprecedented opportunities for searching more useful novel nitrilases due to the abundance of already existing but unexplored gene resources, namely uncharacterized genome information in the database and unculturable microbes in the natural environment. These techniques seem to be innovative and highly efficient. This study reviews the current status and future directions of metagenomics and genome mining in nitrilase exploration. Moreover, it discussed their utilization in coping with the challenges for nitrilase application. In the next several years, with the rapid development of nitrile biocatalysis, these two techniques would be bound to attract increasing attentions and even become a dominant trend for finding more novel nitrilases. Also, this review would provide guidance for exploitation of other commercially important enzymes.

Highly enantioselective oxidation of α-hydroxyacids bearing a substituent with an aryl group: co-production of optically active α-hydroxyacids and α-ketoacids

A novel and simple methodology for co-obtaining of enantiomerically pure α-hydroxyacids and α-ketoacids was developed by enantioselective oxidation of α-hydroxyacids bearing a substituent with an aryl group using α-hydroxyacid dehydrogenase (α-HADH). A high-throughput method was firstly established for screening of enantioselective α-HADHs. Sinorhizobium sp. ZJB1 101 with high activity and excellent enantioselectivity of α-HADH for oxidation of α-hydroxyacids bearing a substituent with an aryl group was isolated and identified. This strain has potential for co-production of (R)-α-hydroxyacids and α-ketoacids in near theoretical yields, while no consecutive oxidation of α-ketoacids was observed. The green conversion system appears promising for potential applications in industry.

Rationally re-designed mutation of NAD-independent L-lactate dehydrogenase: high optical resolution of racemic mandelic acid by the engineered Escherichia coli

Background

NAD-independent l-lactate dehydrogenase (l-iLDH) from Pseudomonas stutzeri SDM can potentially be used for the kinetic resolution of small aliphatic 2-hydroxycarboxylic acids. However, this enzyme showed rather low activity towards aromatic 2-hydroxycarboxylic acids.

Results

Val-108 of l-iLDH was changed to Ala by rationally site-directed mutagenesis. The l-iLDH mutant exhibited much higher activity than wide-type l-iLDH towards l-mandelate, an aromatic 2-hydroxycarboxylic acid. Using the engineered Escherichia coli expressing the mutant l-iLDH as a biocatalyst, 40 g·L^-1 of dl-mandelic acid was converted to 20.1 g·L^-1 of d-mandelic acid (enantiomeric purity higher than 99.5%) and 19.3 g·L^-1 of benzoylformic acid.

Conclusions

A new biocatalyst with high catalytic efficiency toward an unnatural substrate was constructed by rationally re-design mutagenesis. Two building block intermediates (optically pure d-mandelic acid and benzoylformic acid) were efficiently produced by the one-pot biotransformation system.

Nitrilases in nitrile biocatalysis: recent progress and forthcoming research

Over the past decades, nitrilases have drawn considerable attention because of their application in nitrile degradation as prominent biocatalysts. Nitrilases are derived from bacteria, filamentous fungi, yeasts, and plants. In-depth investigations on their natural sources function mechanisms, enzyme structure, screening pathways, and biocatalytic properties have been conducted. Moreover, the immobilization, purification, gene cloning and modifications of nitrilase have been dwelt upon. Some nitrilases are used commercially as biofactories for carboxylic acids production, waste treatment, and surface modification. This critical review summarizes the current status of nitrilase research, and discusses a number of challenges and significant attempts in its further development. Nitrilase is a significant and promising biocatalyst for catalytic applications.

Nocardia globerula NHB-2 nitrilase catalysed biotransformation of 4-cyanopyridine to isonicotinic acid

Isonicotinic acid (INA) is an important pyridine derivative used in the manufacture of isoniazid (antituberculosatic drug) and other pharmaceutically important drugs. Nitrilase catalysed processes for the synthesis of pharmaceutically important acids from their corresponding nitriles are promising alternative over the cumbersome, hazardous, and energy demanding chemical processes. Nitrilase of Nocardia globerula NHB-2 (NitNHB2) is expressed in presence of isobutyronitrile in the growth medium (1.0% glucose, 0.5% peptone, 0.3% beef extract, and 0.1 % yeast extract, pH 7.5). NitNHB2 hydrolyses 4-cyanopyridine (4-CP) to INA without accumulation of isonicotinamide, which is common in the reaction catalysed via fungal nitrilases. The NitNHB2 suffers from substrate inhibition effect and hydrolysing activity up to 250 mM 4-CP was recorded. Complete conversion of 200 mM 4-CP to INA was achieved in 40 min using resting cell concentration corresponding to 10 U mL-1 nitrilase activity in the reaction. Substrate inhibition effect in the fed batch reaction (200 mM substrate feed/40min) led to formation of only 729 mM INA. In a fed batch reaction (100 mM 4-CP/20min), substrate inhibition effect was encountered after 7th feed and a total of 958 mM INA was produced in 400 min. The fed batch reaction scaled up to 1 L and 100% hydrolysis of 700 mM of 4-CP to INA at 35°C achieved in 140 min. The rate of INA production was 21.1 g h-1 mgDCW-1. This is the fastest biotransformation process ever reported for INA production with time and space productivity of 36 g L-1 h-1 using a bacterial nitrilase.

Stereo-selective conversion of mandelonitrile to (R)-(−)-mandelic acid using immobilized cells of recombinant Escherichia coli

Immobilized cells of a recombinant Escherichia coli expressing nitrilase from Pseudomonas putida were used to catalyze the hydrolysis of mandelonitrile (2-hydroxy-2-phenylacetonitrile) to (R)-(−)-mandelic acid. The cells had been immobilized by entrapment in an alginate matrix. Conditions for the hydrolysis reaction were optimized in shake flasks and in a packed bed reactor. In shake flasks the best conditions for the reaction were a temperature of 40 °C, pH 8, biocatalyst bead diameter of 4.3 mm, sodium alginate concentration in the gel matrix of 2 % (w/v, g/100 mL), a cell dry mass concentration in the bead matrix of 20 mg/mL, an initial substrate concentration of 50 mM and a reaction time of 60 min. Under these conditions, the conversion of mandelonitrile was nearly 95 %. In the packed bed reactor, a feed flow rate of 20 mL/h at a substrate concentration of 200 mM proved to be the best at 40 °C, pH 8, using 4.3 mm beads (2 % w/v sodium alginate in the gel matrix, 20 mg dry cell concentration per mL of gel matrix). This feed flow rate corresponded to a residence time of 0.975 h in the packed bed.

Gene cloning, expression, and characterization of a nitrilase from Alcaligenes faecalis ZJUTB10

Nitrilases are important industrial enzymes that convert nitriles directly into the corresponding carboxylic acids. In the current work, the fragment with a length of 1068 bp that encodes the A. faecalis ZJUTB10 nitrilase was obtained. Moreover, a catalytic triad was proposed and verified by site-directed mutagenesis, and the detailed mechanism of this nitrilase was clarified. The substrate specificity study demonstrated that the A. faecalis ZJUTB10 nitrilase belongs to the family of arylacetonitrilases. The optimum pH and temperature for the purified nitrilase was 7-8 and 40 °C, respectively. Mg(2+) stimulated hydrolytic activity, whereas Cu(2+), Co(2+), Ni(2+), Ag(+), and Hg(2+) showed a strong inhibitory effect. The K(m) and v(max) for mandelonitrile were 4.74 mM and 15.85 μmol min(-1) mg(-1) protein, respectively. After 30 min reaction using the nitrilase, mandelonitrile at the concentration of 20 mM was completely hydrolyzed and the enantiomeric excess against (R)-(-)-mandelic acid was >99%. Characteristics investigation indicates that this nitrilase is promising in catalysis applications.

Screening, cultivation, and biocatalytic performance of Rhodococcus boritolerans FW815 with strong 2,2-dimethylcyclopropanecarbonitrile hydratase activity

In this work, a mild, efficient bioconversion of 2,2-dimethylcyclopropanecarbonitrile (DMCPCN) to 2,2-dimethylcyclopropanecarboxamide (DMCPCA) in distilled water system was developed. The isolate FW815 was screened using the enrichment culture technique, displaying strong DMCPCN hydratase activity, and was identified as Rhodococcus boritolerans based on morphological, physiological, biochemical tests and 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Cultivation outcomes indicated that R. boritolerans FW815 was a neutrophile, with a growth optimum of 28-32°C; its DMCPCN hydratase belonged to the Fe-type family, and was most active at 38-42°C, pH 7.0, with maximal activity of 4.51 × 10(4) U g(-1) DCW. R. boritolerans FW815 was found to be DMCPCA amidase-negative, eliminating the contamination of dimethylcyclopropanecarboxylic acid. Moreover, it displayed high activity and acceptable reusability in the non-buffered distilled water system, comparable to those in pH 7.0 phosphate buffer (50.0 mmol l(-1)).