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Updated: Jul 3, 2026

Enzymatic Cascade Reactions for the Synthesis of Chiral Amino Alcohols from L-lysine
Published on: February 16, 2018
Development of a multienzyme reactor for dopamine synthesis: I. enzymology and kinetics
W A Anderson1, M Moo-Young, R L Legge
1Biochemical Engineering Group, Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.
Abstract:
The enzymology and kinetics of tyrosine phenol lyase (TPL) from Erwinia herbicola, and tyrosine decarboxylase (TDC) from Streptococcus faecalis have been investigated for potential use in a coimmobilized multienzyme biocatalytic system for the production of dopamine. In this multienzyme biotransformation using whole cells optimized for each of the respective enzymes, TPL catalyzes the production of 3,4-dihydroxyphenyl-L-alanine (L-dopa) from catechol, pyruvate, and ammonium, and this is subsequently decarboxylated by TDC to produce dopamine. Performing the reactions simultaneously, thereby removing L-dopa, is one option for overcoming the TPL equilibrium constraints. The enzymes have different optimal pH values, so the reaction kinetics at a compromise pH of 7.1, where both enzymes could be operated simultaneously, were investigated. For the concentration range investigated, TPL followed pseudo-first-order kinetics with respect to catechol, pyruvate, and ammonium. TDC exhibited significant product inhibition as well as inhibition by combinations of catechol and pyruvate.
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