Nature versus nurture in two highly enantioselective esterases from Bacillus cereus and Thermoanaerobacter tengcongensis.

ABSTRACT: There is an increasing need for the use of biocatalysis to obtain enantiopure compounds as chiral building blocks for drug synthesis such as antibiotics. The principal findings of this study are: (i) the complete sequenced genomes of Bacillus cereus ATCC 14579 and Thermoanaerobacter tengcongensis MB4 contain a hitherto undescribed enantioselective and alkaliphilic esterase (BcEST and TtEST respectively) that is specific for the production of (R)-2-benzyloxy-propionic acid ethyl ester, a key intermediate in the synthesis of levofloxacin, a potent antibiotic; and (ii) directed evolution targeted for increased thermostability of BcEST produced two improved variants, but in either case the 3-5 °C increase in the apparent melting temperature (T(m)) of the mutants over the native BcEST that has

SUBMITTER: Grosse S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3815948 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature