Asymmetric Reductive Carbocyclization Using Engineered Ene Reductases

Chemoenzymatic Asymmetric Synthesis of Pregabalin Precursors via Asymmetric Bioreduction of β-Cyanoacrylate Esters Using Ene-Reductases

The asymmetric bioreduction of a library of β-cyanoacrylate esters using ene-reductases was studied with the aim to provide a biocatalytic route to precursors for GABA analogues, such as pregabalin. The stereochemical outcome could be controlled by substrate-engineering through size-variation of the ester moiety and by employing stereochemically pure (E)- or (Z)-isomers, which allowed to access...

Nitrile as Activating Group in the Asymmetric Bioreduction of β-Cyanoacrylic Acids Catalyzed by Ene-Reductases

Asymmetric bioreduction of an (E)-β-cyano-2,4-dienoic acid derivative by ene-reductases allowed a shortened access to a precursor of pregabalin [(S)-3-(aminomethyl)-5-methylhexanoic acid] possessing the desired configuration in up to 94% conversion and >99% ee. Deuterium labelling studies showed that the nitrile moiety was the preferred activating/anchor group in the active site of the enzyme o...

Boronic acid catalyzed ene carbocyclization of acetylenic dicarbonyl compounds.

The discovery and development of an efficient ene carbocyclization of 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds bearing pendent terminal alkyne substituents under 3-nitrobenzeneboronic acid catalysis is described. The reaction is efficient, easy to perform and general to a wide range of ketoester substrates.

Overcoming co-product inhibition in the nicotinamide independent asymmetric bioreduction of activated C=C-bonds using flavin-dependent ene-reductases

Eleven flavoproteins from the old yellow enzyme family were found to catalyze the disproportionation ("dismutation") of conjugated enones. Incomplete conversions, which were attributed to enzyme inhibition by the co-product phenol could be circumvented via in situ co-product removal by scavenging the phenol using the polymeric adsorbent MP-carbonate. The optimized system allowed to reduce an al...

Formal asymmetric biocatalytic reductive amination.