Published in Angewandte Chemie (International ed. in English)
Enzyme catalysis has been increasingly utilized in reversible deactivation radical polymerization (Enz-RDRP) on account of its mildness, efficiency, and sustainability. In this Minireview we discuss the key roles enzymes play in RDRP, including their ATRPase, initiase, deoxygenation, and photoenzyme activities. We use selected examples to highlight...
Published in ChemSusChem
Microbial synthesis of plant-based (-)-menthol is of great interest because of its high demand (≈30 kiloton per year) as well as unique odor and cooling characteristics. However, this remains a great challenge due to the yet unfilled gap between (-)-limonene and (+)-cis-isopulegone. Herein, the first artificial and effective system was developed fo...
Published in ChemSusChem
Industrial hyaluronic acid (HA) production comprises either fermentation with Streptococcus strains or extraction from rooster combs. The hard-to-control product quality is an obstacle to these processes. Enzymatic syntheses of HA were developed to produce high-molecular-weight HA with low dispersity. To facilitate enzyme recovery and biocatalyst r...
Published in ChemSusChem
10-Hydroxy-2-decenoic acid (10-HDA) is a terminal hydroxylated medium-chain α,β-unsaturated carboxylic acid that performs various unique physiological activities and has a wide market value. Therefore, development of an environmentally friendly, safe, and high-efficiency route to synthesize 10-HDA is required. Here, the β-oxidation pathway of Esche...
Published in Journal of labelled compounds & radiopharmaceuticals
Cyclopropanes are commonly employed structural moieties in drug design since their incorporation is often associated with increased target affinity, improved metabolic stability, and increased rigidity to access bioactive conformations. Robust chemical cyclopropanation procedures have been developed which proceed with high yield and broad substrate...
Published in Biophysics and Physicobiology
Hydrogen atoms and hydration water molecules in proteins are essential for many biochemical processes, especially enzyme catalysis. Neutron crystallography enables direct observation of hydrogen atoms, and reveals molecular recognition through hydrogen bonding and catalytic reactions involving proton-coupled electron transfer. The use of neutron cr...
LTA4H is a bifunctional zinc metalloenzyme that converts leukotriene A4 (LTA4) into leukotriene B4 (LTB4), one of the most potent chemotactic agents involved in acute and chronic inflammatory diseases. In this reaction, LTA4H acts as an epoxide hydrolase with a unique and fascinating mechanism, which includes the stereoselective attachment of one w...
The cooperative interplay between the functional devices of a preorganized active site is fundamental to enzyme catalysis. An in-depth understanding of this phenomenon is central to elucidating the remarkable efficiency of natural enzymes and provides an essential benchmark for enzyme design and engineering. Here, we study the functional interconne...
Polyurethanes (PU) are one of the most-used classes of synthetic polymers in Europe, having a considerable impact on the plastic waste management in the European Union. Therefore, they represent a major challenge for the recycling industry, which requires environmentally friendly strategies to be able to re-utilize their monomers without applying h...
Published in mBio
Coenzyme F420 is a microbial redox cofactor that mediates diverse physiological functions and is increasingly used for biocatalytic applications. Recently, diversified biosynthetic routes to F420 and the discovery of a derivative, 3PG-F420, were reported. 3PG-F420 is formed via activation of 3-phospho- d -glycerate (3-PG) by CofC, but the structura...
