title: Enzymes useful for chiral compound synthesis: structural biology, directed evolution, and protein engineering for industrial use.
abstract: Biocatalysts (enzymes) have many advantages as catalysts for the production of useful compounds as compared to chemical catalysts. The stereoselectivity of the enzymes is one advantage, and thus the stereoselective production of chiral compounds using enzymes is a promising approach. Importantly, industrial application of the enzymes for chiral compound production requires the discovery of a novel useful enzyme or enzyme function; furthermore, improving the enzyme properties through protein engineering and directed evolution approaches is significant. In this review, the significance of several enzymes showing stereoselectivity (quinuclidinone reductase, aminoalcohol dehydrogenase, old yellow enzyme, and threonine aldolase) in chiral compound production is described, and the improvement of these enzymes using protein engineering and directed evolution approaches for further usability is discussed. Currently, enzymes are widely used as catalysts for the production of chiral compounds; however, for further use of enzymes in chiral compound production, improvement of enzymes should be more essential, as well as discovery of novel enzymes and enzyme functions.
authors.affiliation: Division of Applied Life Sciences, Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Osaka Prefecture University, 1-1 Gakuencho, Naka-ku, Sakai, Osaka, 599-8531, Japan. kataoka@biochem.osakafu-u.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Michihiko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kataoka
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Biological Chemistry, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 1-1-1 Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8657, Japan.
authors.forename: Takuya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Miyakawa
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Bioenvironmental Science, Kyoto Gakuen University, Sogabe-cho, Kameoka, 621-8555, Japan.
authors.forename: Sakayu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shimizu
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Biological Chemistry, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 1-1-1 Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8657, Japan.
authors.forename: Masaru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tanokura
mesh_terms: D055162:Biocatalysis; D019020:Directed Molecular Evolution; D004798:Enzymes / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D007218:Industrial Microbiology; D015202:Protein Engineering; D013379:Substrate Specificity
chemical_list: D004798:Enzymes
keywords: Aminoalcohol dehydrogenase; Chiral compound; Old yellow enzyme; Quinuclidinone reductase; Threonine aldolase