Racemase

Isotnerases. These catalyse the structural or geometric changes within a molecule. The division includes racemases, epimerases, cis-rran -isomerases, lautomerases and mulases. 

E. coli A.chromoh. ohae a-Amino-S-caprolactum racemase ... 

L-cysteine DL- 2- amino thia2 oline- 4- c arb 0 xyUc hydrolase + racemase Pseud, thia olinophilum ... 

L-lysine DL-a-aminocaprolactum hydrolase + Racemase Jichromobactor obae ... 

D-glutamic acid L-glutamic acid Glu decarboxylase + Glu racemase iMctohac. brevis 207... 

Racemization also occurs in the presence of microbial racemase. As for other amino acids, the racemase that is specific for glutamic acid is found in... 

Fig. 4. Simplified mechanism-based irreversible inactivation of alanine racemase by 3-chlorovinylglycine, P = PO -...

These results are compatible with an evolutionary history in which the new enzyme activity of mandelate racemase has evolved from a preexisting enzyme that catalyzes the basic chemical reaction of proton abstraction and formation of an intermediate. Subsequent mutations have modified the... 

Figure 4.9 Mechanisms of the reactions catalyzed by the enzymes mandelate racemase (a) and muconate lactonizing enzyme (b). The two overall reactions are quite different a change of configuration of a carbon atom for mandelate racemase versus ring closure for the lactonizing enzyme. However, one crucial step (red) in the two reactions is the same addition of a proton (blue) to an intermediate of the substrate (red) from a lysine residue of the enzyme (E) or. In the reverse direction, formation of an intermediate by proton abstraction from the carbon atom adjacent to the carboxylate group.

Neidhart, D.J., et al. Mandelate racemase and muconate lactonizing enzyme are mechanistically distinct and structurally homologous. Nature 347 ... 

FIGURE 16.7 The proline racemase reaction. Pyrrole-2-carboxylate and A-l-pyrroline-2-carboxylate mimic the planar transition state of the reaction. 

Beanie, S. L., and Wolfenden, R., 1997. Mandelate racemase in pieces Effective concentrations of enzyme fnnctional groups in the transition state. Biochemistry 36 1646-1656. 

D-Methylmalonyl-CoA, the product of this reaction, is converted to the L-isomer by methylmalonyl-CoA epunerase (Figure 24.19). (This enzyme has often and incorrectly been called methylmalonyl-CoA racemase. It is not a racemase because the CoA moiety contains five other asymmetric centers.) The epimerase reaction also appears to involve a carbanion at the a-position (Figure 24.20). The reaction is readily reversible and involves a reversible dissociation of the acidic a-proton. The L-isomer is the substrate for methylmalonyl-CoA mutase. Methylmalonyl-CoA epimerase is an impressive catalyst. The for the proton that must dissociate to initiate this reaction is approximately 21 If binding of a proton to the a-anion is diffusion-limited, with = 10 M sec then the initial proton dissociation must be rate-limiting, and the rate constant must be... 

To prevent the formation of byproducts like L-malic add and D-alanine, die cells undergo a pH-treatment to inactive fumarase and alanine racemase. Several reactor conformations have been investigated, but a two reactor system was found to be the most effective. The flow sheet of this two reactor system is given in Figure A8.15. In the first reactor L-aspartic add is formed, which reacts in die second reactor to L-alanine. 

Hydantoinases belong to the E.C.3.5.2 group of cyclic amidases, which catalyze the hydrolysis of hydantoins [4,54]. As synthetic hydantoins are readily accessible by a variety of chemical syntheses, including Strecker reactions, enantioselective hydantoinase-catalyzed hydrolysis offers an attractive and general route to chiral amino acid derivatives. Moreover, hydantoins are easily racemized chemically or enzymatically by appropriate racemases, so that dynamic kinetic resolution with potential 100% conversion and complete enantioselectivity is theoretically possible. Indeed, a number of such cases using WT hydantoinases have been reported [54]. However, if asymmetric induction is poor or ifinversion ofenantioselectivity is desired, directed evolution can come to the rescue. Such a case has been reported, specifically in the production of i-methionine in a whole-cell system ( . coli) (Figure 2.13) [55]. 

Asano et al. have developed an approach for the synthesis of D-amino acids through DKR using a two-enzyme system [55]. They had previously reported the discovery of new D-stereospecific hydrolases that can be applied to KR of racemic amino acid amides to yield D-amino acids. Combination of a D-stereospedfic hydrolase with an amino acid amide racemase allows performing DKR of i-amino acid amides yielding enantiomerically pure D-amino acids in excellent yields (Figure 4.29). 

Faber and coworkers have reported a DKR of mandelic acid by using a lipase-catalyzed O-acylation followed by a racemization catalyzed by mandelate racemase. However, these two transformations do not take place simultaneously in the same pot. When the sequence was repeated four times, (S)-O-acetylmandelic acid was obtained in 80% isolated yield and >98% ee [57]. 

Faber et al. have reported a novel process for the overall deracemization of racemic mandelic acid derivatives using a combination of an enantioselective lipase and a mandelate racemase activity from Lactobacillus paracasei (Figure 5.19) [32]. 

The main application of the enzymatic hydrolysis of the amide bond is the en-antioselective synthesis of amino acids [4,97]. Acylases (EC 3.5.1.n) catalyze the hydrolysis of the N-acyl groups of a broad range of amino acid derivatives. They accept several acyl groups (acetyl, chloroacetyl, formyl, and carbamoyl) but they require a free a-carboxyl group. In general, acylases are selective for i-amino acids, but d-selective acylase have been reported. The kinetic resolution of amino acids by acylase-catalyzed hydrolysis is a well-established process [4]. The in situ racemization of the substrate in the presence of a racemase converts the process into a DKR. Alternatively, the remaining enantiomer of the N-acyl amino acid can be isolated and racemized via the formation of an oxazolone, as shown in Figure 6.34. 

Enantioselective Biotran ormations of Carboxylic Acid Derivatives 147 Racemase (in situ) ... 

Racemic a-amino amides and a-hydroxy amides have been hydrolyzed enantio-selectively by amidases. Both L-selective and o-selective amidases are known. For example, a purified L-selective amidase from Ochrobactrum anthropi combines a very broad substrate specificity with a high enantioselectivity on a-hydrogen and a,a-disubstituted a-amino acid amides, a-hydroxyacid amides, and a-N-hydroxya-mino acid amides [102]. A racemase (a-amino-e-caprolactam racemase, EC 5.1.1.15) converts the o-aminopeptidase-catalyzed hydrolysis of a-amino acid amides into a DKR (Figure 6.38) [103]. 

Racemic hydantoins result from the reaction of carbonyl compounds with potassium cyanide and ammonium carbonate or the reaction of the corresponding cyanohydrins with ammonium carbonate (Bucherer-Bergs reaction). Hydantoins racemize readily under basic conditions or in the presence of hydantoin racemase, thus allowing DKR (Figure 6.43). Hydantoinases (EC 3.5.2.2), either isolated enzymes or whole microorganisms, catalyze the hydrolysis of five-substituted... 

In our laboratory we have been investigating the mechanism of action of mandelic acid racemase from Pseudomonas putida (101), which catalyzes the racemization of either D or L-mandelic acid, 47. Evidence from kinetic and isotopic exchange studies indicates that the racemization proceeds via an... 

In many cases, the racemization of a substrate required for DKR is difficult As an example, the production of optically pure cc-amino acids, which are used as intermediates for pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and as chiral synfhons in organic chemistry [31], may be discussed. One of the important methods of the synthesis of amino acids is the hydrolysis of the appropriate hydantoins. Racemic 5-substituted hydantoins 15 are easily available from aldehydes using a commonly known synthetic procedure (Scheme 5.10) [32]. In the next step, they are enantioselectively hydrolyzed by d- or L-specific hydantoinase and the resulting N-carbamoyl amino acids 16 are hydrolyzed to optically pure a-amino acid 17 by other enzymes, namely, L- or D-specific carbamoylase. This process was introduced in the 1970s for the production of L-amino acids 17 [33]. For many substrates, the racemization process is too slow and in order to increase its rate enzymes called racemases are used. In processes the three enzymes, racemase, hydantoinase, and carbamoylase, can be used simultaneously this enables the production of a-amino acids without isolation of intermediates and increases the yield and productivity. Unfortunately, the commercial application of this process is limited because it is based on L-selective hydantoin-hydrolyzing enzymes [34, 35]. For production of D-amino acid the enzymes of opposite stereoselectivity are required. A recent study indicates that the inversion of enantioselectivity of hydantoinase, the key enzyme in the... 

Recently, recombinant biocatalysts obtained using Escherichia coli cells were designed for this process. The overexpression of all enzymes required for the process, namely, hydantoinase, carbamoylase, and hydantoin racemase from Arthrobacter sp. DSM 9771 was achieved. These cells were used for production of a-amino acids at the concentration of above 50 g 1 dry cell weight [37]. This is an excellent example presenting the power of biocatalysis with respect to classical catalysis, since a simultaneous use of three different biocatalysts originated from one microorganism can be easily achieved. 

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