Amine Transaminases in Multi-Step One-Pot Reactions

Amine transaminases are enzymes that catalyze the mild and selective formation of primary amines, which are useful building blocks for biologically active compounds and natural products. In order to make the production of these kinds of compounds more efficient from both a practical and an environmental point of view, amine transaminases were incorporated into multi-step one-pot reactions. With this kind of methodology there is no need for isolation of intermediates, and thus unnecessary work-up steps can be omitted and formation of waste is prevented. Amine transaminases were successfully combined with other enzymes for multi-step synthesis of valuable products: With ketoreductases all four diastereomers of a 1,3-amino alcohol could be obtained, and the use of a lipase allowed for the synthesis of natural products in the form of capsaicinoids. Amine transaminases were also successfully combined with metal catalysts based on palladium or copper. This methodology allowed for the amination of alcohols and the synthesis of chiral amines such as the pharmaceutical compound Rivastigmine. These examples show that the use of amine transaminases in multi-step one-pot reactions is possible, and hopefully this concept can be further developed and applied to make industrial processes more sustainable and efficient in the future.