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Updated: Sep 30, 2026
Enzymatic Cascade Reactions for the Synthesis of Chiral Amino Alcohols from L-lysine
Published on: February 16, 2018
YerE-like enzymes for the synthesis of tertiary alcohols
Lucrezia Lanza1, Daniela Bjarnesen1, William Fischer1
1Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Freiburg, Albertstr, Freiburg, Germany.
Abstract:
Carboligation reactions are highly valuable transformations in modern applied biocatalysis. Tertiary α-hydroxy ketones have broad relevance, yet their synthesis remains challenging. This 1,2-functionality can be introduced by thiamine diphosphate (ThDP)-dependent enzymes. However, most ThDP-dependent enzymes form new C-C bonds using aldehydes as acceptor substrates, yielding secondary α-hydroxy ketones. Only a few enzymes accept ketones as substrates, enabling access to chiral tertiary alcohols. Here, we describe a bioinformatic strategy to identify ThDP-dependent enzymes producing tertiary alcohols and present protocols for their expression, purification, and characterization. These protocols provide a framework for discovering ThDP-dependent enzymes that produce tertiary α-hydroxy ketones.
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