PMID:12889023

From EcoliWiki
Jump to navigation Jump to search
Citation

Engel, S, Vyazmensky, M, Geresh, S, Barak, Z and Chipman, DM (2003) Acetohydroxyacid synthase: a new enzyme for chiral synthesis of R-phenylacetylcarbinol. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 83:833-40

Abstract

We have found that acetohydroxyacid synthase (AHAS) is an efficient catalyst for the enantiospecific (> or =98% enantiomeric excess) synthesis of (R)-phenylacetylcarbinol (R-PAC) from pyruvate and benzaldehyde, despite the fact that its normal physiological role is synthesis of (S)-acetohydroxyacids from pyruvate and a second ketoacid. (R)-phenylacetylcarbinol is the precursor of important drugs having alpha and beta adrenergic properties, such as L-ephedrine, pseudoephedrine, and norephedrin. It is currently produced by whole-cell fermentations, but the use of the isolated enzyme pyruvate decarboxylase (PDC) for this purpose is the subject of active research and development efforts. Some of the AHAS isozymes of Escherichia coli have important advantages compared to PDC, including negligible acetaldehyde formation and high conversion of substrates (both pyruvate and benzaldehyde) to PAC. Acetohydroxyacid synthase isozyme I is particularly efficient. The reaction is not limited to condensation of pyruvate with benzaldehyde and other aromatic aldehydes may be used.

Links

PubMed Online version:10.1002/bit.10728

Keywords

Acetolactate Synthase/metabolism; Acetone/analogs & derivatives; Acetone/chemical synthesis; Acetone/chemistry; Acetone/isolation & purification; Benzaldehydes; Binding Sites; Catalysis; Escherichia coli/enzymology; Escherichia coli/genetics; Fermentation; Isoenzymes/metabolism; Molecular Structure; Pyruvic Acid; Stereoisomerism; Temperature; Time Factors

Significance

You can help EcoliWiki by summarizing why this paper is useful

Useful Materials and Methods

You can help Ecoliwiki by describing the useful materials (strains, plasmids, antibodies, etc) described in this paper.

Annotations

<annotationlinks/>

EcoliWiki Links

Add links to pages that link here (e.g. gene, product, method pages)

References

See Help:References for how to manage references in EcoliWiki.