Nitrilase activity utilization

Nitrilases have been utilized successfully for the desymmetrisation of symmetric starting materials. At Diversa it was demonstrated that mutagenesis could create a highly selective nitrilase that was active at high substrate concentrations [105]. For their enzymatic route towards the atorvastatin (lipitor) side-chain this nitrilase now converts a symmetric precursor with 600 g IT1 d-1 into the enan-tiopure (R)-4-cyano-3-hydroxybutyric acid (ee=98.5%, Scheme 6.34). 

Plant nitrilases and related enzymes in some plant-associated bacteria preferentially utilize arylaliphatic nitriles such as 3-phenylpropionitrile or 3-phenylbutyronitrile. These enz3unes also exhibit remarkable activities for aliphatic nitriles (Table 12.4). 

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