Although the range of biocatalysts available for the synthesis of enantiomerically pure chiral amines continues to expand, few existing methods provide access to secondary amines. To address this shortcoming, we have over-expressed the gene for an (R)-imine reductase [(R)-IRED] from Streptomyces sp. GF3587 in Escherichia coli to create a recombinant whole-cell biocatalyst for the asymmetric red...

At the heart of synthetic biology lies the goal of rationally engineering a complete biological system to achieve a specific objective, such as bioremediation and synthesis of a valuable drug, chemical, or biofuel molecule. However, the inherent complexity of natural biological systems has heretofore precluded generalized application of this approach. Directed evolution, a process which mimics ...

BACKGROUND The regeneration of cofactors and the supply of alkane substrate are key considerations for the biocatalytic activation of hydrocarbons by cytochrome P450s. This study focused on the biotransformation of n-octane to 1-octanol using resting Escherichia coli cells expressing the CYP153A6 operon, which includes the electron transport proteins ferredoxin and ferredoxin reductase. Glycero...

BACKGROUND Biocatalytic asymmetric reductions with whole cells can offer high enantioselectivity, environmentally benign processes and energy-effective operations and thus are of great interest. The application of whole cell-mediated bioreduction is often restricted if substrate and product have low water solubility and/or high toxicity to the biocatalyst. Many studies have shown that a biphasi...

A nanolayer of composite and Rhodococcus erythropolis biocatalyst was studied for the first time for desulfurization of dibenzothiophene as a model sulfur compound and its performance was compared with that of composite and R. erythropolis alone. The nanolayer of composite was synthesized by sol-gel method from ferrous oxalate and zinc oxalate precursors coated on glass by spin coating techniqu...

This work describes an experimental ‘ toolbox ’ for the rapid evaluation and optimisation of multi-step enzymatic syntheses comprising a ‘ mix and match ’ E. coli -based expression system and automated microwell scale experimentation. The approach is illustrated with a de novo designed pathway for the synthesis of optically pure amino alcohols using the enzymes transketolase (TK) and transamina...

Terminal vicinal diols are important chiral building blocks and intermediates in organic synthesis. Reduction of α-hydroxy ketones provides a straightforward approach to access these important compounds. In this study, it has been found that asymmetric reduction of a series of α-hydroxy aromatic ketones and 1-hydroxy-2-pentanone, catalyzed by Candida magnolia carbonyl reductase (CMCR) with gluc...

A bacterial P450 monooxygenase-based whole cell biocatalyst using Escherichia coli has been applied in the production of ω-hydroxy dodecanoic acid from dodecanoic acid (C12-FA) or the corresponding methyl ester. We have constructed and purified a chimeric protein where the fusion of the monooxygenase CYP153A from Marinobacter aquaeloei to the reductase domain of P450 BM3 from Bacillus megateriu...

Abstract Background Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is an important bio-product used in pharmaceuticals and functional foods as a precursor of the biodegradable plastic polyamide 4. Glutamate decarboxylase (GAD) converts l -glutamate ( -Glu) into GABA via decarboxylation. Compared with other methods, develop bioconversion platform to produce considerable interest for industrial use. Results Thre...

BACKGROUND Microbial laccases are highly useful in textile effluent dye biodegradation. However, the bioavailability of cellularly expressed or purified laccases in continuous operations is usually limited by mass transfer impediment or enzyme regeneration difficulty. Therefore, this study develops a regenerable bacterial surface-displaying system for industrial synthetic dye decolorization, an...