A Four-Step Enzymatic Cascade for Efficient Production of L-Phenylglycine from Biobased L-Phenylalanine

Enantiopure amino acids are of particular interest in the agrochemical and pharmaceutical industries. Here, we reported a multi-enzyme cascade for efficient production of L-phenylglycine (L-Phg) from biobased L-phenylalanine (L-Phe). We first attempted to engineer Escherichia coli for expressing L-amino acid deaminase (LAAD) from Proteus mirabilis, hydroxymandelate synthase (HmaS) from Amycolatopsis orientalis, (S)-mandelate dehydrogenase (SMDH) from Pseudomonas putida, the endogenous aminotransferase (AT) encoded by ilvE and L-glutamate dehydrogenase (GluDH) from E. coli. However, 10 mM L-Phe only afforded the synthesis of 7.21 mM L-Phg. The accumulation of benzoylformic acid suggested that the transamination step might be rate-limiting. We next used leucine dehydrogenase (LeuDH) from Bacillus cereus to bypass the use of L-glutamate as amine donor, and 40 mM L-Phe gave 39.97 mM (6.04 g/L) L-Phg, reaching 99.9% conversion. In summary, this work demonstrated a concise four-step enzymatic cascade for the L-Phg synthesis from biobased L-Phe, with a potential for future industrial applications.

An enzyme cascade fluorescence-based assay for quantification of phenylalanine in serum

Quantification of phenylalanine in clinic samples is essential to diagnosis and treatment of phenylketonuria in neonates. In this report, an enzyme cascade strategy was proposed and a high efficiency fluorescence...

A Review on the Design and Performance of Enzyme-Aided Catalysis of Carbon Dioxide in Membrane, Electrochemical Cell and Photocatalytic Reactors

Multi-enzyme cascade catalysis involved three types of dehydrogenase enzymes, namely, formate dehydrogenase (FDH), formaldehyde dehydrogenase (FaldDH), alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH), and an equimolar electron donor, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH), assisting the reaction is an interesting pathway to reduce thermodynamically stable molecules of CO2 from the atmosphere. The biocatalytic sequence is interesting because it operates under mild reaction conditions (low temperature and pressure) and all the enzymes are highly selective, which allows the reaction to produce three basic chemicals (formic acid, formaldehyde, and methanol) in just one pot. There are various challenges, however, in applying the enzymatic conversion of CO2, namely, to obtain high productivity, increase reusability of the enzymes and cofactors, and to design a simple, facile, and efficient reactor setup that will sustain the multi-enzymatic cascade catalysis. This review reports on enzyme-aided reactor systems that support the reduction of CO2 to methanol. Such systems include enzyme membrane reactors, electrochemical cells, and photocatalytic reactor systems. Existing reactor setups are described, product yields and biocatalytic productivities are evaluated, and effective enzyme immobilization methods are discussed.

Highly Efficient Multi-Step Oxidation Bioanode Using Microfluidic Channels

With the rapid decline of fossil fuels, various types of biofuel cells (BFCs) are being developed as an alternative energy source. BFCs based on multi-enzyme cascade reactions are utilized to extract more electrons from substrates. Thus, more power density is obtained from a single molucule of substrate. In the present study, a bioanode that could extract six electrons from a single molecule of L-proline via a three-enzyme cascade reaction was developed and investigated for its possible use in BFCs. These enzymes were immobilized on the electrode to ensure highly efficient electron transfer. Then, oriented immobilization of enzymes was achieved using two types of self-assembled monolayers (SAMs). In addition, a microfluidic system was incorporated to achieve efficient electron transfer. The microfluidic system, in which the electrodes were arranged in a tooth-shaped comb, allowed for substrates to be supplied continuously to the cascade, which resulted in smooth electron transfer. Finally, we developed a high-performance bioanode which resulted in the accumulation of higher current density compared to that of a gold disc electrode (205.8 μA cm−2: approximately 187 times higher). This presents an opportunity for using the bioanode to develop high-performance BFCs in the future.

Separator-less Amino Acid-powered Biofuel Cell Through an Artificial Multi-enzyme Cascade Reaction

Objective This study was aimed at constructing a highly stable one-compartment enzymatic biofuel cell (EFC) without a separator through a multi-enzyme cascade reaction pathway. Results A separator-less EFC composed of a multi-enzyme cascade anode containing four dehydrogenases from a thermophile and a cathode devised using a multi-copper oxidase mutant with enhanced enzyme activity from a hyperthermophile was developed. To fabricate an EFC without a separator, redox mediators utilized in the enzymatic cascade reaction were also immobilized on the anode. In the presence of the fuel 100 mM L -proline, the separator-less EFC with four thermophilic dehydrogenase-modified anode achieved a maximum power density of 11.3 υW/cm 2 at 37°C, which was 1.6-fold higher than that of a similar EFC fabricated with a one enzyme-modified anode. The separator-less EFC composed of a multi-enzyme modified anode maintained approximately 57% of the load current at 0.3 V measured on the first day of EFC fabrication, even after 4 days.Conclusion Efficient L-proline electric generation utilizing a separator-less EFC composed of a multi-enzyme modified anode through a multi-step fuel oxidation reaction and a highly stable multi-copper oxidase mutant-modified cathode was successfully achieved over a long period. The long-term stability of the separator-less EFC can facilitate its application as an efficient power source for implantable medical devices requiring continuous operation.