P.G. De Santos, A. González-Benjumea, Angela Fernandez-Garcia
Dec 30, 2022
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Influential Citations
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Journal
Angewandte Chemie
Abstract
The hydroxylation of fatty acids is an appealing reaction in synthetic chemistry, although the lack of selective catalysts hampers its industrial implementation. Here, we have engineered a highly regioselective fungal peroxygenase for the w-1 hydroxylation of fatty acids with quenched stepwise over-oxidation. One single mutation near the Phe catalytic tripod narrowed the heme cavity, promoting a dramatic shift toward sub-terminal hydroxylation with a drop in the over-oxidation activity. While crystallographic soaking experiments and molecular dynamic simulations shed light on this unique oxidation pattern, the selective biocatalyst was produced by Pichia pastoris at 0.4 g/L in a fed-batch bioreactor and used in the preparative synthesis of 1.4 g of (w-1)-hydroxytetradecanoic acid with 95% regioselectivity and 83% ee through the (S)-enantiomer.The hydroxylation of fatty acids is an appealing reaction in synthetic chemistry, although the lack of selective catalysts hampers its industrial implementation. Here, we have engineered a highly regioselective fungal peroxygenase for the w-1 hydroxylation of fatty acids with quenched stepwise over-oxidation. One single mutation near the Phe catalytic tripod narrowed the heme cavity, promoting a dramatic shift toward sub-terminal hydroxylation with a drop in the over-oxidation activity. While crystallographic soaking experiments and molecular dynamic simulations shed light on this unique oxidation pattern, the selective biocatalyst was produced by Pichia pastoris at 0.4 g/L in a fed-batch bioreactor and used in the preparative synthesis of 1.4 g of (w-1)-hydroxytetradecanoic acid with 95% regioselectivity and 83% ee through the (S)-enantiomer.