Microbial isomerization

Increasingly, biochemical transformations are used to modify renewable resources into useful materials (see Microbial transformations). Fermentation (qv) to ethanol is the oldest of such conversions. Another example is the ceU-free enzyme catalyzed isomerization of glucose to fmctose for use as sweeteners (qv). The enzymatic hydrolysis of cellulose is a biochemical competitor for the acid catalyzed reaction. 

Hydroxypropionic Acid (3-HPA). Like the structurally isomeric lactic acid, 3-HPA constitutes a three-carbon building block with the potential of becoming a key intermediate for a variety of high-volume chemicals malonic and acrylic acids, methacrylate, acrylonitrile, 1,3-propanediol, and so forth.Thus, Cargill is developing a low-cost fermentation route by metabolic engineering of the microbial... 

More recently, the degradation of a-pinene by Pseudomonas jluorescens NCIMB 11671 was described [97,98]. A novel pathway for the microbial breakdown of a-pinene (119) was proposed, Fig. (23). The attack is initiated by enzymatic oxygenation of the 1,2-double bond to form the epoxide (127). This epoxide then undergoes rapid rearrangement to produce a novel diunsaturated aldehyde, occurring as two isomeric forms. The primary product of the reaction (Z)-2-methyl-5-isopropylhexa-2,5-dien-l-al (trivial name isonovalal) (128) can undergo chemical isomerisation to the -form (novalal) (129). Isonovalal, the native form of... 

Some reactions afford mixtures of products. Mixtures include diastereomers, such as endo and exo products (10.1 and 10.2) of a Diels-Alder cycloaddition, and regioisomers, such as ortho and para products (10.3 and 10.4) from an electrophilic aromatic substitution (Scheme 10.1). Even a reaction that forms products as subtly similar as enantiomers is technically a mixture of products. Isomeric mixtures violate the spirit of one compound, one well in combinatorial chemistry. Isomeric mixtures, however, are often unavoidable and therefore tolerated in compound libraries. Mixtures are also tolerated in libraries of compounds that have been derived from natural sources. Examples include extracts from finely ground vegetation and microbial broths. 

Several biocatalytic processes for the production of (5)-(+)-naproxen (5) have also been developed (see Chapter 19). Direct isomerization of racemic naproxen (4) by a microorganism catalyst, Exophialia wilhansil, was reported to give the (S)-isomer 5 (92%, 100% ee) (Scheme 6.5).2X A 1-step synthesis of (5)-(+)-naproxen (5) by microbial oxidation of 6-methoxy-2-isopropylnaphthalene (12) was developed by IBIS (Scheme 6.6).29 In both cases, typical bioprocess-related issues such as productivity, product isolation, and biocatalyst production have apparently prevented them from rapid commercialization. 

In addition, although most abiotic processes are nonenantioselective, not aU are indeed the case. Nucleophilic 5 jv2-substitution reactions at a chiral center will result in chiral inversion to the antipodal enantiomer. While such processes are often biologically mediated, as for the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs [328], they can also be abiotic. Appropriate sterile controls should be used for experiments with such compounds, as was done in the demonstration of microbial chiral inversion of ibuprofen in Swiss lake water [329]. Photolysis of a-HCH [114], /3-PCCH [114], and chlordane compounds [116] was demonstrated not to be enantioselective, as expected for an abiotic process. However, this may not be the case for some pyrethroids, known to isomerize photolytically. 

In another process, diosgenin is degraded to 16-dehydropregnenolone by chemical methods. Conversion of 16-dehydropregnenolone to 11-deoxycortisol (125) can be accomplished in 11 chemical steps. These steps result in hydroxjlations at C21 and C17, oxidation at C3, and to double-bond isomerization (175). Microbial oxidation of (125) also produces cortisol (29). 

In addition to hydroxyanthraquinones such as alizarin, which is derived from shikimate, glutamate and mevalonate precursors, higher plants produce some polyketide anthraquinones identical to those of microbial origin. Of particular interest is the cooccurrence in root extracts of Aloe species of the 2-methylanthraquinone chiysophanol (63) and the isomeric 1-methylanthraquinone aloesaponarin II (64), since in microorganisms 63 has only been isolated fi om fungal species whereas 64 is the product of a recombinant streptomycete (Figure 7). 

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