Potential and capabilities of hydroxynitrile lyases as biocatalysts in the chemical industry

The application of hydroxynitrile lyases (HNLs) as catalysts for the stereoselective condensation of HCN with carbonyl compounds has been reported as early as 1908. This enzymatic C-C bond coupling reaction furnishes enantiopure cyanohydrins which serve as versatile bifunctional building blocks for...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Applied microbiology and biotechnology 2007-08, Vol.76 (2), p.309-320
Main Authors: PURKARTHOFER, Thomas, SKRANC, Wolfgang, SCHUSTER, Christian, GRIENGL, Herfried
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aldehyde-Lyases - metabolism
Biocatalysts
Biological and medical sciences
Biotechnology
Carbonyl compounds
Catalysis
Catalysts
Chemical Industry
Enzymes
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Nitriles - chemistry
Nitriles - metabolism
Plants - enzymology
Studies
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Summary:The application of hydroxynitrile lyases (HNLs) as catalysts for the stereoselective condensation of HCN with carbonyl compounds has been reported as early as 1908. This enzymatic C-C bond coupling reaction furnishes enantiopure cyanohydrins which serve as versatile bifunctional building blocks for chemical synthesis. Screening of natural sources led to the discovery of both (R)- and (S)-selective HNLs, and several distinctly different classes of these enzymes with substantial differences concerning sequence, structure, and mechanism have been found. Especially during the last two centuries, HNLs have been developed into valuable biocatalysts, which can be produced in recombinant form by overexpression in microbial hosts, resulting in the implementation of industrial processes utilizing these enzymes. Recently, protein engineering in combination with in silico methods gave rise to the development of a tailor-made HNL for large-scale manufacturing of a specific target cyanohydrin.
ISSN:0175-7598
1432-0614
DOI:10.1007/s00253-007-1025-6