Publications

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9 Publications visible to you, out of a total of 9

Abstract (Expand)

The congested nature of quaternary carbons hinders their preparation, most notably when stereocontrol is required. Here we report a biocatalytic method for the creation of quaternary carbon centers with broad substrate scope, leading to different compound classes bearing this structural feature. The key step comprises the aldol addition of 3,3-disubstituted 2-oxoacids to aldehydes catalyzed by metal dependent 3-methyl-2-oxobutanoate hydroxymethyltransferase from E. coli (KPHMT) and variants thereof. The 3,3,3-trisubstituted 2-oxoacids thus produced were converted into 2-oxolactones and 3-hydroxy acids and directly to ulosonic acid derivatives, all bearing gem-dialkyl, gem-cycloalkyl, and spirocyclic quaternary centers. In addition, some of these reactions use a single enantiomer from racemic nucleophiles to afford stereopure quaternary carbons. The notable substrate tolerance and stereocontrol of these enzymes are indicative of their potential for the synthesis of structurally intricate molecules.

Authors: Roser Marín-Valls, Karel Hernández, Michael Bolte, Teodor Parella, Jesús Joglar, Jordi Bujons, Pere Clapés

Date Published: 18th Nov 2020

Publication Type: Journal

Abstract (Expand)

The booming demand for environmentally benign industrial processes relies on the ability to quickly find or engineer a biocatalyst suitable to ideal process conditions. Both metagenomic approaches and directed evolution involve the screening of huge libraries of protein variants, which can only be managed reasonably by flexible platforms for (ultra)high-throughput profiling against the desired criteria. Here, we review the most recent additions toward a growing toolbox of versatile assays using fluorescence, absorbance and mass spectrometry readouts. While conventional solution based high-throughput screening in microtiter plate formats is still important, the implementation of novel screening protocols for microfluidic cell or droplet sorting systems supports technological advances for ultra-high-frequency screening that now can dramatically reduce the timescale of engineering projects. We discuss practical issues of scope, scalability, sensitivity and stereoselectivity for the improvement of biotechnologically relevant enzymes from different classes.

Authors: Yuriy V Sheludko, Wolf-Dieter Fessner

Date Published: 29th Jun 2020

Publication Type: Journal

Abstract

Not specified

Authors: Marion Lorillière, Christine Guérard‐Hélaine, Thierry Gefflaut, Wolf‐Dieter Fessner, Pere Clapés, Franck Charmantray, Laurence Hecquet

Date Published: 12th Dec 2019

Publication Type: Journal

Abstract (Expand)

Chiral 2-substituted 3-hydroxycarboxylic acid derivatives are valuable building blocks for the preparation of naturally occurring and synthetic biologically active molecules. Current methodologies for the preparation of these compounds are still limited for large-scale production due to the high costs, limited microbial strains, low yields, difficult downstream processing, and limited range of structures. We report an effective chemoenzymatic method for the synthesis of enantiomerically pure 2 substituted 3 hydroxycarboxylic esters. The strategy comprises: i) a stereoselective aldol addition of 2 oxoacids to methanal catalyzed by two enantiocomplementary 2 oxoacid aldolases, ii) oxidative decarboxylation, and iii) esterification. Compounds with S-configuration were obtained in 69-80% isolated yields (94-99% ee), and the R enantiomers in 57-88% (88-95% ee), using a substrate concentration range of 0.1-1.0 M. The method developed offers a versatile alternative route to this important class of chiral building blocks, and highlights the exciting opportunities available for using natural enzymes with minimal active site modification.

Authors: Roser Marín-Valls, Karel Hernández, Michael Bolte, Jesús Joglar, Jordi Bujons, Pere Clapés

Date Published: 8th Jul 2019

Publication Type: Not specified

Abstract (Expand)

Nitrogen heterocycles are structural motifs found in many bioactive natural products and of utmost importance in pharmaceutical drug development. In this work, a stereoselective synthesis of functionalized N‐heterocycles was accomplished in two steps, comprising the biocatalytic aldol addition of ethanal and simple aliphatic ketones such as propanone, butanone, 3‐pentanone, cyclobutanone, and cyclopentanone to N‐Cbz‐protected aminoaldehydes using engineered variants of d‐fructose‐6‐phosphate aldolase from Escherichia coli (FSA) or 2‐deoxy‐d‐ribose‐5‐phosphate aldolase from Thermotoga maritima (DERATma) as catalysts. FSA catalyzed most of the additions of ketones while DERATma was restricted to ethanal and propanone. Subsequent treatment with hydrogen in the presence of palladium over charcoal, yielded low‐level oxygenated N‐heterocyclic derivatives of piperidine, pyrrolidine and N‐bicyclic structures bearing fused cyclobutane and cyclopentane rings, with stereoselectivities of 96–98 ee and 97:3 dr in isolated yields ranging from 35 to 79%.

Authors: Raquel Roldán, Karel Hernández, Jesús Joglar, Jordi Bujons, Teodor Parella, Wolf-Dieter Fessner, Pere Clapés

Date Published: 6th Jun 2019

Publication Type: Not specified

Abstract (Expand)

We described an efficient in situ generation of hydroxypyruvate from d‐serine catalyzed by a d‐amino acid oxidase from Rhodotorula gracilis. This strategy revealed an interesting alternative to the conventional chemical synthesis of hydroxypyruvate starting from toxic bromopyruvate or to the enzymatic transamination from l‐serine requiring an additional substrate as amino acceptor. Hydroxypyruvate thus produced was used as donor substrate of transketolases from Escherichia coli or from Geobacillus stearothermophilus catalyzing the stereoselective formation of a carbon−carbon bond. The enzymatic cascade reaction was performed in one‐pot in the presence of d‐serine and appropriate aldehydes for the synthesis of valuable (3S)‐hydroxyketones, which were obtained with high enantio‐ and diastereoselectivity and in good yield. The efficiency of the process was based on the irreversibility of both reactions allowing complete conversion of d‐serine and aldehydes.

Editor:

Date Published: 6th Jun 2019

Publication Type: Not specified

Abstract (Expand)

The transketolase from Geobacillus stearothermophilus (TKGst) is a thermostable enzyme with notable high activity and stability at elevated temperatures, but it accepts non‐α‐hydroxylated aldehydes only with low efficiency. Here we report a protein engineering study of TKGst based on double‐site saturation mutagenesis either at Leu191 or at Phe435 in combination with Asp470; these are the residues responsible for substrate binding in the active site. Screening of the mutagenesis libraries resulted in several positive variants with activity towards propanal up to 7.4 times higher than that of the wild type. Variants F435L/D470E and L191V/D470I exhibited improved (73 % ee, 3S) and inverted (74 % ee, 3R) stereoselectivity, respectively, for propanal. L191V, L382F/E, F435L, and D470/D470I were concluded to be positive mutations at Leu191, Leu382, Phe435, and Asp470 both for activity and for stereoselectivity improvement. These results should benefit further engineering of TKGst for various applications in asymmetric carboligation.

Authors: Chaoqiang Zhou, Thangavelu Saravanan, Marion Lorillière, Dongzhi Wei, Franck Charmantray, Laurence Hecquet, Wolf-Dieter Fessner, Dong Yi

Date Published: 2nd Mar 2017

Publication Type: Not specified

Abstract (Expand)

The FAIRDOMHub is a repository for publishing FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable) Data, Operating procedures and Models (https://fairdomhub.org/) for the Systems Biology community. It is a web-accessible repository for storing and sharing systems biology research assets. It enables researchers to organize, share and publish data, models and protocols, interlink them in the context of the systems biology investigations that produced them, and to interrogate them via API interfaces. By using the FAIRDOMHub, researchers can achieve more effective exchange with geographically distributed collaborators during projects, ensure results are sustained and preserved and generate reproducible publications that adhere to the FAIR guiding principles of data stewardship.

Authors: K. Wolstencroft, O. Krebs, J. L. Snoep, N. J. Stanford, F. Bacall, M. Golebiewski, R. Kuzyakiv, Q. Nguyen, S. Owen, S. Soiland-Reyes, J. Straszewski, D. D. van Niekerk, A. R. Williams, L. Malmstrom, B. Rinn, W. Muller, C. Goble

Date Published: 4th Jan 2017

Publication Type: Journal

Abstract (Expand)

The vicinal amino alcohol is a common motif in natural products and pharmaceuticals. Amino acidsconstitute a natural, inexpensive, and enantiopure choice of starting material for the synthesis of suchfunctionalities. However, the matters concerning diastereoselectivity are not obvious. This Perspectivetakes a look in thefield of diastereoselective synthesis of vicinal amino alcohols starting from amino acidsusing various methods. https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlepdf/2012/ob/c2ob25357g

Authors: Oskari K. Karjalainen, Ari M. P. Koskinen

Date Published: 2012

Publication Type: Not specified

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