Skip to main content
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Mirror-Image Packing in Enantiomer Discrimination Molecular Basis for the Enantioselectivity of B. Cepaci Lipase Toward 2-Methyl-3-Phenyl-1-Propanol

Journal Article · · Chem. Bio.

Synthetic chemists often exploit the high enantioselectivity of lipases to prepare pure enantiomers of primary alcohols, but the molecular basis for this enantioselectivity is unknown. The crystal structures of two phosphonate transition-state analogs bound to Burkholderia cepacia lipase reveal this molecular basis for a typical primary alcohol: 2-methyl-3-phenyl-1-propanol. The enantiomeric alcohol moieties adopt surprisingly similar orientations, with only subtle differences that make it difficult to predict how to alter enantioselectivity. These structures, along with a survey of previous structures of enzyme bound enantiomers, reveal that binding of enantiomers does not involve an exchange of two substituent positions as most researchers assumed. Instead, the enantiomers adopt mirror-image packing, where three of the four substituents at the stereocenter lie in similar positions. The fourth substituent, hydrogen, points in opposite directions.

Research Organization:
Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) National Synchrotron Light Source
Sponsoring Organization:
Doe - Office Of Science
DOE Contract Number:
AC02-98CH10886
OSTI ID:
913734
Report Number(s):
BNL--78302-2007-JA
Journal Information:
Chem. Bio., Journal Name: Chem. Bio. Vol. 12
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

Similar Records

Adsorption of the enantiomers of 3-chloro-1-phenyl-propanol on silica-bonded chiral quinidine carbamate
Journal Article · Sat Oct 01 00:00:00 EDT 2005 · Journal of Chromatography A · OSTI ID:989605

Enantiomerically enriched, polycrystalline molecular sieves
Journal Article · Mon May 01 00:00:00 EDT 2017 · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · OSTI ID:1429468

Structural Basis of Enantioselective Inhibition of Cyclooxygenase-1 by S-[alpha]-Substituted Indomethacin Ethanolamides
Journal Article · Wed Jan 14 23:00:00 EST 2009 · J. Biol. Chem. · OSTI ID:1007653