Application of Immobilized Cholest-4-en-3-one Δ1-Dehydrogenase from Sterolibacterium Denitrificans for Dehydrogenation of Steroids

Cholest-4-en-3-one Δ1-dehydrogenase (AcmB) from Sterolibacterium denitrificans was successfully immobilized on 3-aminopropyltrimethoysilane functionalized mesoporous cellular foam (MCF) and Santa Barbara Amorphous (SBA-15) silica supports using adsorption or covalently with glutaraldehyde or divinyl sulfone linkers. The best catalyst, AcmB on MCF linked covalently with glutaraldehyde, retained the specific activity of the homogenous enzyme while exhibiting a substantial increase of the operational stability. The immobilized enzyme was used continuously in the fed-batch reactor for 27 days, catalyzing 1,2-dehydrogenation of androst-4-en-3-one to androst-1,4-dien-3-one with a final yield of 29.9 mM (8.56 g/L) and 99% conversion. The possibility of reuse of the immobilized catalyst was also demonstrated and resulted in a doubling of the product amount compared to that in the reference homogenous reactor. Finally, it was shown that molecular oxygen from the air can efficiently be used as an electron acceptor either reoxidizing directly the enzyme or the reduced 2,4-dichlorophenolindophenol (DCPIPH2)

Catalytic Stability of <i>S</i>-1-(4-Hydroxyphenyl)-Ethanol Dehydrogenase from <i>Aromatoleum aromaticum</i>

Derived from the denitrifying bacterium Aromatoleum aromaticum EbN1 (Azoarcus sp.), the enzyme S-1-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-ethanol dehydrogenase (S-HPED) belongs to the short-chain dehydrogenase/reductase family. Using research techniques like UV-Vis spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering, thermal-shift assay and HPLC, we investigated the catalytic and structural stability of S-HPED over a wide temperature range and within the pH range of 5.5 to 9.0 under storage and reaction conditions. The relationship between aggregation and inactivation of the enzyme in various pH environments was also examined and interpreted. At pH 9.0, where the enzyme exhibited no aggregation, we characterized thermally induced enzyme inactivation. Through isothermal and multitemperature analysis of inactivation data, we identified and confirmed the first-order inactivation mechanism under these pH conditions and determined the kinetic parameters of the inactivation process. Additionally, we report the positive impact of glucose as an enzyme stabilizer, which slows down the dynamics of S-HPED inactivation over a wide range of pH and temperature and limits enzyme aggregation. Besides characterizing the stability of S-HPED, the enzyme’s catalytic activity and high stereospecificity for 10 prochiral carbonyl compounds were positively verified, thus expanding the spectrum of substrates reduced by S-HPED. Our research contributes to advancing knowledge about the biocatalytic potential of this catalyst

The reaction mechanism of chiral hydroxylation of p-OH and p-NH2 substituted compounds by ethylbenzene dehydrogenase

Ethylbenzene dehydrogenase (EbDH; enzyme commission (EC) number: 1.17.99.2) is a unique biocatalyst that hydroxylates alkylaromatic and alkylheterocyclic compounds to (S)-secondary alcohols under anaerobic conditions. The enzyme exhibits a high promiscuity catalyzing oxidation of over 30 substrates, inter alia, para-substituted alkylphenols and alkylanilines. Secondary alcohols with OH and NH2 substituents in the aromatic ring are highly valuable synthons for many biologically active compounds in the fine chemical industry. EbDH hydroxylates most of the studied compounds highly enantioselectively, except for five substrates that harbour OH and NH2 groups in the para position, which exhibit a significant decrease in the percent enantiomeric excess (% ee). This phenomenon is inconsistent with the previously suggested enzyme mechanism, but it may be linked to a stabilization of the carbocation intermediate by deprotonation of the OH or NH2 substituent in the active site that yields a transient quinone (imine) ethide species. This would initiate an alternative reaction pathway involving the addition of a water molecule to a C=C double bond. This hypothesis was cross-validated by density functional theory (DFT) cluster modelling of the alternative reaction pathway with 4-ethylphenol, as well as by experimental assessment of the pH dependency of enantiomeric excesses. The results reported herein suggest that the alternative reaction pathway may significantly contribute to the overall reaction if the carbocation intermediates are stabilized by deprotonation