Enzyme catalytic promiscuity: asymmetric aldol addition reaction catalyzed by a novel thermophilic esterase in organic solvent

Abstract

The asymmetric aldol addition of 2-butanone and 4-nitrobenzaldehyde catalyzed by a novel thermophilic esterase (APE1547) from the archaeon Aeropyrum pernix K1 was successfully conducted in organic solvents. APE1547 exhibited a good enzyme activity and enantioselectivity in the reaction. The effects of organic solvent, temperature, water content, and substrate concentration were investigated. The reaction provided optically active secondary alcohol with satisfying enantioselectivity (71.2 %ee) and enzyme activity (38.1 μmol/g/h) under the optimum conditions. A high yield (68.7%) could be obtained when the reaction time was approximately 120 h. © 2014 The Author(s). Published by Taylor & Francis.