Extended substrate range of thiamine diphosphate-dependent MenD enzyme by coupling of two C-C-bonding reactions.

Carboligations catalyzed by aldolases or thiamine diphosphate (ThDP)-dependent enzymes are well-known in biocatalysis to deliver enantioselective chain elongation reactions. A pyruvate-dependent aldolase (2-oxo-3-deoxy-6-phosphogluconate aldolase [EDA]) introduces a chiral center when reacting with the electrophile, glyoxylic acid, delivering the (S)-enantiomer of (4S)-4-hydroxy-2-oxoglutarate [(S)-HOG]. The ThDP-dependent enzyme MenD (2-succinyl-5-enol-pyruvyl-6-hydroxy-3-cyclohexene-1-carboxylate synthase (SEPHCHC synthase)) enables access to highly functionalized substances by forming intermolecular C-C bonds with Michael acceptor compounds by a Stetter-like 1,4- or a benzoin-condensation 1,2-addition of activated succinyl semialdehyde (ThDP adduct formed by decarboxylation of 2-oxoglutarate). MenD-catalyzed reactions are characterized by high chemo- and regioselectivity. Here, we report (S)-HOG, in situ formed by EDA, to serve as new donor substrate for MenD in 1,4-addition reactions with 2,3-trans-CHD (2,3-trans-dihydroxy-cyclohexadiene carboxylate) and acrylic acid. Likewise, (S)-HOG serves as donor in 1,2-additions with aromatic (benzaldehyde) and aliphatic (hexanal) aldehydes. This enzyme cascade of two subsequent C-C bond formations (EDA aldolase and a ThDP-dependent carboligase, MenD) generates two new stereocenters.

Regio- and Stereoselective Aliphatic-Aromatic Cross-Benzoin Reaction: Enzymatic Divergent Catalysis.

The catalytic asymmetric synthesis of chiral 2-hydroxy ketones by using different thiamine diphosphate dependent enzymes, namely benzaldehyde lyase from Pseudomonas fluorescens (PfBAL), a variant of benzoylformate decarboxylase from Pseudomonas putida (PpBFD-L461A), branched-chain 2-keto acid decarboxylase from Lactococcus lactis (LlKdcA) and a variant of pyruvate decarboxylase from Acetobacter pasteurianus (ApPDC-E469G), was studied. Starting with the same set of substrates, substituted benzaldehydes in combination with different aliphatic aldehydes, PfBAL and PpBFD-L461A selectively deliver the (R)- and (S)-2-hydroxy-propiophenone derivatives, respectively. The (R)- and (S)-phenylacetylcarbinol (1-hydroxy-1-phenylacetone) derivatives are accessible in a similar way using LlKdcA and ApPDC-E469G, respectively. In many cases excellent stereochemical purities (>98 % enantiomeric excess) could be achieved. Hence, the regio- and stereochemistry of the product in the asymmetric aliphatic-aromatic cross-benzoin reaction can be controlled solely by choice of the appropriate enzyme or enzyme variant.

Extended reaction scope of thiamine diphosphate dependent cyclohexane-1,2-dione hydrolase: from C-C bond cleavage to C-C bond ligation.

ThDP-dependent cyclohexane-1,2-dione hydrolase (CDH) catalyzes the CC bond cleavage of cyclohexane-1,2-dione to 6-oxohexanoate, and the asymmetric benzoin condensation between benzaldehyde and pyruvate. One of the two reactivities of CDH was selectively knocked down by mutation experiments. CDH-H28A is much less able to catalyze the CC bond formation, while the ability for CC bond cleavage is still intact. The double variant CDH-H28A/N484A shows the opposite behavior and catalyzes the addition of pyruvate to cyclohexane-1,2-dione, resulting in the formation of a tertiary alcohol. Several acyloins of tertiary alcohols are formed with 54-94 % enantiomeric excess. In addition to pyruvate, methyl pyruvate and butane-2,3-dione are alternative donor substrates for CC bond formation. Thus, the very rare aldehyde-ketone cross-benzoin reaction has been solved by design of an enzyme variant.

New Stetter reactions catalyzed by thiamine diphosphate dependent MenD from E. coli.

The intermolecular asymmetric Stetter reaction is a rarely found biocatalysts transformation. MenD, the second enzyme of the menaquinone biosynthetic pathway, catalyzes as a physiological reaction a Stetter-like addition of α-ketoglutarate to isochorismate. The substrate range of MenD for similar 1,4-additions is highly restricted. All other thiamine diphosphate dependent enzymes known to act as stetterases are members of the PigD enzyme subfamily, which accept aliphatic and aromatic α,ß-unsaturated ketones and thioesters as Michael acceptor substrates. Here, we describe the unexpected activity of MenD with short-chain α,ß-unsaturated acids and derivatives as substrates in Stetter reactions. MenD possesses a characteristic substrate range with respect to Michael acceptor substrates which is distinctly different from the classical stetterases. This provides biocatalytic access to new types of products which are not related to the products currently accessible by thiamine diphosphate dependent enzyme catalysis.

Catalytic scope of the thiamine-dependent multifunctional enzyme cyclohexane-1,2-dione hydrolase.

The thiamine diphosphate (ThDP)-dependent enzyme cyclohexane-1,2-dione hydrolase (CDH) was expressed in Escherichia coli and purified by affinity chromatography (Ni-NTA). Recombinant CDH showed the same C-C bond-cleavage and C-C bond-formation activities as the native enzyme. Furthermore, we have shown that CDH catalyzes the asymmetric cross-benzoin reaction of aromatic aldehydes and (decarboxylated) pyruvate (up to quantitative conversion, 92-99 % ee). CDH accepts also hydroxybenzaldehydes and nitrobenzaldehydes; these previously have not (or only in rare cases) been known as substrates of other ThDP-dependent enzymes. On a semipreparative scale, sterically demanding 4-(tert-butyl)benzaldehyde and 2-naphthaldehyde were transformed into the corresponding 2-hydroxy ketone products in high yields. Additionally, certain benzaldehydes with electron withdrawing substituents were identified as potential inhibitors of the ligase activity of CDH.

(S)-Selective MenD variants from Escherichia coli provide access to new functionalized chiral α-hydroxy ketones.

We report the first rationally designed (S)-selective MenD from E. coli for the synthesis of functionalized α-hydroxy ketones. By mutation of two amino acids in the active site stereoselectivity of the (R)-selective EcMenD (ee > 93%) was inverted giving access to (S)-5-hydroxy-4-oxo-5-phenylpentanoate derivatives with stereoselectivities up to 97% ee.

TCA cycle involved enzymes SucA and Kgd, as well as MenD: efficient biocatalysts for asymmetric C-C bond formation.

Asymmetric mixed carboligation reactions of α-ketoglutarate with different aldehydes were explored with the thiamine diphosphate dependent enzymes SucA from E. coli, Kgd from Mycobacterium tuberculosis, and MenD from E. coli. All three enzymes proved to be efficient biocatalysts to selectively deliver chiral δ-hydroxy-γ-keto acids with moderate to excellent stereoselectivity. The high regioselectivity is due to the preserved role of α-ketoglutarate as acyl donor for these enzyme-catalyzed reactions.