Activation-Free Upgrading of Carboxylic Acids to Aldehydes and Alcohols.

ABSTRACT: Advances in organic and gas waste valorization have enabled high-yield production of carboxylic acids, positioning them as promising feedstocks for the bioeconomy. However, carboxylic acids must be activated before downstream use, typically requiring ATP, CoA, or reduced ferredoxin to overcome unfavorable thermodynamics. These activators are costly to generate and divert carboxylic acids into CO₂-releasing pathways, reducing carbon efficiency. Here, we demonstrate that aldehyde dehydrogenases (ALDHs) can directly reduce carboxylic acids to aldehydes without prior activation, a process previously thought to be biologically inaccessible. Screening 133 ALDHs revealed that this activity is remarkably widespread within the protein family, enabling production of aliphatic aldehydes an

SUBMITTER: Black WB 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12324289 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature