Synthesis of α-hydroxy ketones and vicinal (R,R)-diols by Bacillus clausii DSM 8716T butanediol dehydrogenase

Significantly enhanced specific activity of Bacillus subtilis (2,3)-butanediol dehydrogenase through computer-aided refinement of its substrate-binding pocket

(2,3)-Butanediol dehydrogenases (BDHs) are widely utilized for the stereoselective interconversion between α-hydroxy ketones and vicinal diols to produce various functional building blocks. In this study, to enhance the specific activity towards (R)-phenyl-1,2-ethanediol (1a) for 2-hydroxyacetophenone (1b), the substrate-binding pocket of a Bacillus subtilis BDH (BsBDHA) was refined through site-directed mutagenesis. Based on molecular docking simulations, 14 residues were identified and subjected to alanine scanning mutagenesis. After screening, two residues, His42 and Gly292, were singled out for partial site-saturation mutagenesis. The results revealed that BsBDHAH42A and BsBDHAG292A displayed high activities of 3.21 and 1.97 U/mg, respectively. Employing combinatorial mutagenesis, a superior mutant, BsBDHAI49L/V266L/G292A, was developed, exhibiting significantly enhanced specific activity and catalytic efficiency towards (R)-1a, achieving 14.81 U/mg and 4.47 mM-1 s-1, respectively, which were 27.4- and 55.9-fold higher than those of BsBDHA. Further substrate spectrum analysis revealed that the superior mutant displayed increased specific activities for (R)-2a-6a by 1.4- to 10.3-fold. The integration of BsBDHAI49L/V266L/G292A into a three-enzymatic cascade for the synthesis of 1b effectively elevated the yield from 58.1 to 82.4%. Molecular mechanism analysis indicated that the mutation-induced changes in intermolecular forces resulted in a higher frequency of reactive conformations for (R)-1a in BsBDHAI49L/V266L/G292A compared to BsBDHA.

Carboligation towards production of hydroxypentanones

2-Hydroxy-3-pentanone and 3-hydroxy-2-pentanone are flavor molecules present in various foods, such as cheese, wine, durian, and honey, where they impart buttery, hay-like, and caramel-sweet aromas. However, their utilization as flavoring agents is constrained by a lack of developed synthesis methods. In this study, we present their synthesis from simple starting compounds available in natural quality, catalyzed by previously characterized ThDP-dependent carboligases. Additionally, we demonstrate that newly discovered homologues of pyruvate dehydrogenase from E. coli (EcPDH E1), namely LaPDH from Leclercia adecarboxylata, CnPDH from Cupriavidus necator, and TcPDH from Tanacetum cinerariifolium, exhibit promising potential for α-hydroxy pentanone synthesis in form of whole-cell biocatalysts. Enzyme stability at varying pH levels, kinetic parameters, and reaction intensification were investigated. CnPDH, for example, exhibits superior stability across different pH levels compared to EcPDH E1. Both α-hydroxy pentanones can be produced with CnPDH in satisfactory yields (74% and 59%, respectively).

Chaperone assisted recombinant expression of a mycobacterial aminoacylase in Vibrio natriegens and Escherichia coli capable of N-lauroyl-L-amino acid synthesis

BACKGROUND

Aminoacylases are highly promising enzymes for the green synthesis of acyl-amino acids, potentially replacing the environmentally harmful Schotten-Baumann reaction. Long-chain acyl-amino acids can serve as strong surfactants and emulsifiers, with application in cosmetic industries. Heterologous expression of these enzymes, however, is often hampered, limiting their use in industrial processes.

RESULTS

We identified a novel mycobacterial aminoacylase gene from Mycolicibacterium smegmatis MKD 8, cloned and expressed it in Escherichia coli and Vibrio natriegens using the T7 overexpression system. The recombinant enzyme was prone to aggregate as inclusion bodies, and while V. natriegens Vmax™ could produce soluble aminoacylase upon induction with isopropyl β-d-1-thiogalactopyranoside (IPTG), E. coli BL21 (DE3) needed autoinduction with lactose to produce soluble recombinant protein. We successfully conducted a chaperone co-expression study in both organisms to further enhance aminoacylase production and found that overexpression of chaperones GroEL/S enhanced aminoacylase activity in the cell-free extract 1.8-fold in V. natriegens and E. coli. Eventually, E. coli ArcticExpress™ (DE3), which co-expresses cold-adapted chaperonins Cpn60/10 from Oleispira antarctica, cultivated at 12 °C, rendered the most suitable expression system for this aminoacylase and exhibited twice the aminoacylase activity in the cell-free extract compared to E. coli BL21 (DE3) with GroEL/S co-expression at 20 °C. The purified aminoacylase was characterized based on hydrolytic activities, being most stable and active at pH 7.0, with a maximum activity at 70 °C, and stability at 40 °C and pH 7.0 for 5 days. The aminoacylase strongly prefers short-chain acyl-amino acids with smaller, hydrophobic amino acid residues. Several long-chain amino acids were fairly accepted in hydrolysis as well, especially N-lauroyl-L-methionine. To initially evaluate the relevance of this aminoacylase for the synthesis of N-acyl-amino acids, we demonstrated that lauroyl-methionine can be synthesized from lauric acid and methionine in an aqueous system.

CONCLUSION

Our results suggest that the recombinant enzyme is well suited for synthesis reactions and will thus be further investigated.

Detection of Acetoin and Diacetyl by a Tobacco Mosaic Virus-Assisted Field-Effect Biosensor

Acetoin and diacetyl have a major impact on the flavor of alcoholic beverages such as wine or beer. Therefore, their measurement is important during the fermentation process. Until now, gas chromatographic techniques have typically been applied; however, these require expensive laboratory equipment and trained staff, and do not allow for online monitoring. In this work, a capacitive electrolyte–insulator–semiconductor sensor modified with tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) particles as enzyme nanocarriers for the detection of acetoin and diacetyl is presented. The enzyme acetoin reductase from Alkalihalobacillus clausii DSM 8716T is immobilized via biotin–streptavidin affinity, binding to the surface of the TMV particles. The TMV-assisted biosensor is electrochemically characterized by means of leakage–current, capacitance–voltage, and constant capacitance measurements. In this paper, the novel biosensor is studied regarding its sensitivity and long-term stability in buffer solution. Moreover, the TMV-assisted capacitive field-effect sensor is applied for the detection of diacetyl for the first time. The measurement of acetoin and diacetyl with the same sensor setup is demonstrated. Finally, the successive detection of acetoin and diacetyl in buffer and in diluted beer is studied by tuning the sensitivity of the biosensor using the pH value of the measurement solution.

Advanced Insights into Catalytic and Structural Features of the Zinc-Dependent Alcohol Dehydrogenase from Thauera aromatica

The asymmetric reduction of ketones to chiral hydroxyl compounds by alcohol dehydrogenases (ADHs) is an established strategy for the provision of valuable precursors for fine chemicals and pharmaceutics. However, most ADHs favor linear aliphatic and aromatic carbonyl compounds, and suitable biocatalysts with preference for cyclic ketones and diketones are still scarce. Among the few candidates, the alcohol dehydrogenase from Thauera aromatica (ThaADH) stands out with a high activity for the reduction of the cyclic α‐diketone 1,2‐cyclohexanedione to the corresponding α‐hydroxy ketone. This study elucidates catalytic and structural features of the enzyme. ThaADH showed a remarkable thermal and pH stability as well as stability in the presence of polar solvents. A thorough description of the substrate scope combined with the resolution and description of the crystal structure, demonstrated a strong preference of ThaADH for cyclic α‐substituted cyclohexanones, and indicated structural determinants responsible for the unique substrate acceptance.

Kinetics of enzyme-catalysed desymmetrisation of prochiral substrates: product enantiomeric excess is not always constant

The kinetics of enzymatic desymmetrisation were analysed for the most common kinetic mechanisms: ternary complex ordered (prochiral ketone reduction); ping-pong second (ketone amination, diol esterification, desymmetrisation in the second half reaction); ping-pong first (diol ester hydrolysis) and ping-pong both (prochiral diacids). For plausible values of enzyme kinetic parameters, the product enantiomeric excess (ee) can decline substantially as the reaction proceeds to high conversion. For example, an ee of 0.95 at the start of the reaction can decline to less than 0.5 at 95% of equilibrium conversion, but for different enzyme properties it will remain almost unchanged. For most mechanisms a single function of multiple enzyme rate constants (which can be termed ee decline parameter, eeDP) accounts for the major effect on the tendency for the ee to decline. For some mechanisms, the concentrations or ratios of the starting materials have an important influence on the fall in ee. For the application of enzymatic desymmetrisation it is important to study if and how the product ee declines at high conversion.

Structural insights into the desymmetrization of bulky 1,2-dicarbonyls through enzymatic monoreduction

Benzil reductases are dehydrogenases preferentially active on aromatic 1,2-diketones, but the reasons for this peculiar substrate recognition have not yet been clarified. The benzil reductase (KRED1-Pglu) from the non-conventional yeast Pichia glucozyma showed excellent activity and stereoselectivity in the monoreduction of space-demanding aromatic 1,2-dicarbonyls, making this enzyme attractive as biocatalyst in organic chemistry. Structural insights into the stereoselective monoreduction of 1,2-diketones catalyzed by KRED1-Pglu were investigated starting from its 1.77 Å resolution crystal structure, followed by QM and classical calculations; this study allowed for the identification and characterization of the KRED1-Pglu reactive site. Once identified the recognition elements involved in the stereoselective desymmetrization of bulky 1,2-dicarbonyls mediated by KRED1-Pglu, a mechanism was proposed together with an in silico prediction of substrates reactivity.

Synthesis of α-hydroxy ketones and vicinal diols with the Bacillus licheniformis DSM 13T butane-2,3-diol dehydrogenase

The enantioselective synthesis of α-hydroxy ketones and vicinal diols is an intriguing field because of the broad applicability of these molecules. Although, butandiol dehydrogenases are known to play a key role in the production of 2,3-butandiol, their potential as biocatalysts is still not well studied. Here, we investigate the biocatalytic properties of the meso-butanediol dehydrogenase from Bacillus licheniformis DSM 13^T (BlBDH). The encoding gene was cloned with an N-terminal StrepII-tag and recombinantly overexpressed in E. coli. BlBDH is highly active towards several non-physiological diketones and α-hydroxyketones with varying aliphatic chain lengths or even containing phenyl moieties. By adjusting the reaction parameters in biotransformations the formation of either the α-hydroxyketone intermediate or the diol can be controlled.