Enantiocomplementary Epoxidation Reactions Catalyzed by an Engineered Cofactor‐Independent Non‐Natural Peroxygenase

Peroxygenases are heme-dependent enzymes that use peroxide-borne oxygen to catalyze a wide range of oxyfunctionalization reactions. Herein, we report the engineering of an unusual cofactor-independent peroxygenase based on a promiscuous tautomerase that accepts different hydroperoxides (t-BuOOH and...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Angewandte Chemie International Edition
Main Authors: Xu, Guangcai, Crotti, Michele, Thangavelu, Saravan, Kataja, Kim, Poelarends, Gerrit J.
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: 2020
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Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/11370/3f4521bb-acfc-41f7-ad68-ae9bff4d983b
https://research.rug.nl/en/publications/3f4521bb-acfc-41f7-ad68-ae9bff4d983b
https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.202001373
https://pure.rug.nl/ws/files/131633242/anie.202001373.pdf
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Summary:Peroxygenases are heme-dependent enzymes that use peroxide-borne oxygen to catalyze a wide range of oxyfunctionalization reactions. Herein, we report the engineering of an unusual cofactor-independent peroxygenase based on a promiscuous tautomerase that accepts different hydroperoxides (t-BuOOH and H 2 O 2 ) to accomplish enantiocomplementary epoxidations of various α,β-unsaturated aldehydes (citral and substituted cinnamaldehydes), providing access to both enantiomers of the corresponding α,β-epoxy-aldehydes. High conversions (up to 98 %), high enantioselectivity (up to 98 % ee), and good product yields (50–80 %) were achieved. The reactions likely proceed via a reactive enzyme-bound iminium ion intermediate, allowing tweaking of the enzyme's activity and selectivity by protein engineering. Our results underscore the potential of catalytic promiscuity for the engineering of new cofactor-independent oxidative enzymes.