Enanatioselective Switch and Potential Applications in Biocatalysis

Enantioselectivity has always been a key feature of enzymatic synthesis. In some cases, when enzymes are not strictly enantioselective, by tuning the reaction conditions it is possible to induce an enantioselective switch. A transaminase from Halomonas elongata (ω-HeWT), while generally S-selective, could be shifted towards generating R-enantiomer at higher concentrations amino acceptor or ionic strength, for example. Other reported have similar behavior, and here we discuss them their potential applications.