Discovery and directed evolution of C–C bond formation enzymes for the biosynthesis of β-hydroxy-α-amino acids and derivatives

Abstract

β-Hydroxy-α-amino acids (β-HAAs) have extensive applications in the pharmaceutical, chemical synthesis, and food industries. The development of synthetic methodologies aimed at producing optically pure β-HAAs has been driven by practical applications. Among the various synthetic methods, biocatalytic asymmetric synthesis is considered a sustainable approach due to its capacity to generate two stereogenic centers from simple prochiral precursors in a single step. Therefore, extensive efforts have been made in recent years to search for effective enzymes which enable such biotransformation. This review provides an overview on the discovery and engineering of C-C bond formation enzymes for the biocatalytic synthesis of β-HAAs. We highlight examples where the use of threonine aldolases, threonine transaldolases, serine hydroxymethyltransferases, α-methylserine aldolases, α-methylserine hydroxymethyltransferases, and engineered alanine racemases facilitated the synthesis of β-HAAs. Additionally, we discuss the potential future advancements and persistent obstacles in the enzymatic synthesis of β-HAAs.

Graphical abstract

Keywords:

• β-Hydroxy-α-amino acids
• biocatalysis
• threonine aldolase
• threonine transaldolase
• enzyme engineering
• aldol condensation

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China [22001056], the Natural Science Foundation of Hebei Province [B2020208050], the Key R&D Plan of Hebei Province [22372801D], and Higher Education Postgraduate Innovation Funding Project of Hebei University of Science and Technology [XJCXZZSS202302].