New-to-nature chemistry from old protein machinery: carbene and nitrene transferases

Liu, Zhen; Arnold, Frances H.

doi:10.1016/j.copbio.2020.12.005

New-to-nature chemistry from old protein machinery: carbene and nitrene transferases

Journal Article · Fri Dec 25 00:00:00 EST 2020 · Current Opinion in Biotechnology

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copbio.2020.12.005· OSTI ID:1774541

Liu, Zhen ^[1]; ^[2]

California Institute of Technology (CalTech), Pasadena, CA (United States); California Institute of Technology
California Institute of Technology (CalTech), Pasadena, CA (United States)

Hemoprotein-catalyzed carbene and nitrene transformations have emerged as powerful tools for constructing complex molecules; they also nicely illustrate how new protein catalysts can emerge, evolve and diversify. These laboratory-invented enzymes exploit the ability of proteins to tame highly reactive carbene and nitrene species and direct their fates with high selectivity. New-to-nature carbene and nitrene transferases catalyze many useful reactions, including some that have no precedent using chemical methods. Here we cover recent advances in this field, including alkyne cyclopropenation, arene cyclopropanation, carbene C–H insertion, intramolecular nitrene C–H insertion, alkene aminohydroxylation, and primary amination. For such transformations, biocatalysts have exceeded the performance of reported small-molecule catalysts in terms of selectivity and catalyst turnovers. Lastly, we offer our thoughts on using these new enzymatic reactions in chemical synthesis, integrating them into biological pathways and chemo-enzymatic cascades, and on their current limitations.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Research Organization:: California Institute of Technology (CalTech), Pasadena, CA (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE; USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES)

Grant/Contract Number:: SC0021141

OSTI ID:: 1774541

Alternate ID(s):: OSTI ID: 1778470

Journal Information:: Current Opinion in Biotechnology, Journal Name: Current Opinion in Biotechnology Vol. 69; ISSN 0958-1669

Publisher:: ElsevierCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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