Biocatalysis: A Pharma Perspective Adams, Joseph P.; Brown, Murray J. B.; Diaz‐Rodriguez, Alba ...
Advanced synthesis & catalysis,
June 6, 2019, Letnik:
361, Številka:
11
Journal Article
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Biocatalysis over the past few years has matured into an essential tool for modern, cost effective and sustainable pharmaceutical manufacturing. While some reaction classes are well established, and ...may even be the option of first intent, other more recently discovered enzyme classes are being rapidly developed both in academia and industry. Notwithstanding this, there are further promising enzymes that require further investment and investigation to allow their future industrial use. We here outline GSK's perspective on the current status of biocatalysis for pharmaceutical manufacturing and provide our views on areas of significant potential.
ATP recycling systems are required to avoid the addition of stoichiometric quantities of cofactor and facilitate industrial implementation of ATP-dependent enzymes. One factor that limits the ...biocatalytic application of these enzymes is the lack of a scalable AMP to ATP regeneration system. Whole-cells or a combination of purified enzymes are often exploited for ATP regeneration from AMP, whereas cell free systems comprising a single crude enzyme preparation would be preferred. To establish such a system, we focussed on polyphosphate kinases (PPKs) to find a single enzyme that could be used to power ATP-consuming reactions. Screening of some previously reported PPKs revealed limitations of these biocatalysts for scale-up purposes. As such, a panel of novel putative PPK2-III enzymes was constructed and compared to characterised enzymes belonging to the same class. Multidimensional small-scale screening revealed that PPK12 (from an unclassified Erysipelotrichaceae bacterium) displays enhanced expression levels, ATP formation rates, polyphosphate tolerance and stability under a variety of harsh conditions. The carboxylic acid reductase (CAR) catalysed reduction of carboxylates to aldehydes was chosen as a model reaction to test the applicability of PPK12 as a bifunctional biocatalyst for ATP regeneration from AMP. The implementation of the identified ATP-recycling enzyme provided the first example of cell free multigram-scale aldehyde synthesis employing enzymes and a single PPK2-III, paving the way for affordable scalable ATP regeneration technologies.
The ability to program new modes of catalysis into proteins would allow the development of enzyme families with functions beyond those found in nature. To this end, genetic code expansion methodology ...holds particular promise, as it allows the site-selective introduction of new functional elements into proteins as noncanonical amino acid side chains
. Here we exploit an expanded genetic code to develop a photoenzyme that operates by means of triplet energy transfer (EnT) catalysis, a versatile mode of reactivity in organic synthesis that is not accessible to biocatalysis at present
. Installation of a genetically encoded photosensitizer into the beta-propeller scaffold of DA_20_00 (ref.
) converts a de novo Diels-Alderase into a photoenzyme for 2+2 cycloadditions (EnT1.0). Subsequent development and implementation of a platform for photoenzyme evolution afforded an efficient and enantioselective enzyme (EnT1.3, up to 99% enantiomeric excess (e.e.)) that can promote intramolecular and bimolecular cycloadditions, including transformations that have proved challenging to achieve selectively with small-molecule catalysts. EnT1.3 performs >300 turnovers and, in contrast to small-molecule photocatalysts, can operate effectively under aerobic conditions and at ambient temperatures. An X-ray crystal structure of an EnT1.3-product complex shows how multiple functional components work in synergy to promote efficient and selective photocatalysis. This study opens up a wealth of new excited-state chemistry in protein active sites and establishes the framework for developing a new generation of enantioselective photocatalysts.
Written and verbal languages are neurobehavioral traits vital to the development of communication skills. Unfortunately, disorders involving these traits—specifically reading disability (RD) and ...language impairment (LI)—are common and prevent affected individuals from developing adequate communication skills, leaving them at risk for adverse academic, socioeconomic and psychiatric outcomes. Both RD and LI are complex traits that frequently co‐occur, leading us to hypothesize that these disorders share genetic etiologies. To test this, we performed a genome‐wide association study on individuals affected with both RD and LI in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children. The strongest associations were seen with markers in ZNF385D (OR = 1.81, P = 5.45 × 10−7) and COL4A2 (OR = 1.71, P = 7.59 × 10−7). Markers within NDST4 showed the strongest associations with LI individually (OR = 1.827, P = 1.40 × 10−7). We replicated association of ZNF385D using receptive vocabulary measures in the Pediatric Imaging Neurocognitive Genetics study (P = 0.00245). We then used diffusion tensor imaging fiber tract volume data on 16 fiber tracts to examine the implications of replicated markers. ZNF385D was a predictor of overall fiber tract volumes in both hemispheres, as well as global brain volume. Here, we present evidence for ZNF385D as a candidate gene for RD and LI. The implication of transcription factor ZNF385D in RD and LI underscores the importance of transcriptional regulation in the development of higher order neurocognitive traits. Further study is necessary to discern target genes of ZNF385D and how it functions within neural development of fluent language.
ZNF385D associates with comorbid reading disability and language impairment, as well as overall fiber tract and brain volumes.
It is now recognized that a number of cognitive, behavioral, and mental health outcomes across the lifespan can be traced to fetal development. Although the direct mediation is unknown, the ...substantial variance in fetal growth, most commonly indexed by birth weight, may affect lifespan brain development. We investigated effects of normal variance in birth weight on MRI-derived measures of brain development in 628 healthy children, adolescents, and young adults in the large-scale multicenter Pediatric Imaging, Neurocognition, and Genetics study. This heterogeneous sample was recruited through geographically dispersed sites in the United States. The influence of birth weight on cortical thickness, surface area, and striatal and total brain volumes was investigated, controlling for variance in age, sex, household income, and genetic ancestry factors. Birth weight was found to exert robust positive effects on regional cortical surface area in multiple regions as well as total brain and caudate volumes. These effects were continuous across birth weight ranges and ages and were not confined to subsets of the sample. The findings show that (i) aspects of later child and adolescent brain development are influenced at birth and (ii) relatively small differences in birth weight across groups and conditions typically compared in neuropsychiatric research (e.g., Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, schizophrenia, and personality disorders) may influence group differences observed in brain parameters of interest at a later stage in life. These findings should serve to increase our attention to early influences.
Self-regulation refers to the ability to control behavior, cognition, and emotions, and self-regulation failure is related to a range of neuropsychiatric problems. It is poorly understood how ...structural maturation of the brain brings about the gradual improvement in self-regulation during childhood. In a large-scale multicenter effort, 735 children (4–21 y) underwent structural MRI for quantification of cortical thickness and surface area and diffusion tensor imaging for quantification of the quality of major fiber connections. Brain development was related to a standardized measure of cognitive control (the flanker task from the National Institutes of Health Toolbox), a critical component of self-regulation. Ability to inhibit responses and impose cognitive control increased rapidly during preteen years. Surface area of the anterior cingulate cortex accounted for a significant proportion of the variance in cognitive performance. This finding is intriguing, because characteristics of the anterior cingulum are shown to be related to impulse, attention, and executive problems in neurodevelopmental disorders, indicating a neural foundation for self-regulation abilities along a continuum from normality to pathology. The relationship was strongest in the younger children. Properties of large-fiber connections added to the picture by explaining additional variance in cognitive control. Although cognitive control was related to surface area of the anterior cingulate independently of basic processes of mental speed, the relationship between white matter quality and cognitive control could be fully accounted for by speed. The results underscore the need for integration of different aspects of brain maturation to understand the foundations of cognitive development.
Polyphosphate kinases (PPKs) have emerged as valuable candidates to address the unmet need for scalable recycling of the common enzyme cofactor adenosine‐5’‐triphosphate (ATP) because they use cheap, ...freely available and stable polyphosphate (polyP) salts as the phosphate donor. The aim of this review is not only to present recent efforts in the characterisation of PPKs but also to provide an overview of the challenges associated with their implementation in chemical manufacturing. In assessing the current status of polyP‐driven biocatalysts, we identify gaps that need to be filled for successful adoption of these biocatalysts in industry. Guidelines for a wider adoption of PPKs are also provided.
Industrial biocatalysis: Polyphosphate kinases (PPKs) have recently emerged as promising candidates for scalable ATP recycling. In addition to presenting biochemical attributes of PPKs, the aim of this Review is to identify areas where more investigation is needed and to provide a set of guidelines to direct endeavours aimed at integrating these enzymes in intensified ATP‐dependent reactions.
Activated Cdc42-associated kinase (ACK) is an oncogenic nonreceptor tyrosine kinase associated with poor prognosis in several human cancers. ACK promotes proliferation, in part by contributing to the ...activation of Akt, the major effector of class 1A phosphoinositide 3-kinases (PI3Ks), which transduce signals via membrane phosphoinositol lipids. We now show that ACK also interacts with other key components of class 1A PI3K signaling, the PI3K regulatory subunits. We demonstrate ACK binds to all five PI3K regulatory subunit isoforms and directly phosphorylates p85α, p85β, p50α, and p55α on Tyr607 (or analogous residues). We found that phosphorylation of p85β promotes cell proliferation in HEK293T cells. We demonstrate that ACK interacts with p85α exclusively in nuclear-enriched cell fractions, where p85α phosphorylated at Tyr607 (pTyr607) also resides, and identify an interaction between pTyr607 and the N-terminal SH2 domain that supports dimerization of the regulatory subunits. We infer from this that ACK targets p110-independent p85 and further postulate that these regulatory subunit dimers undertake novel nuclear functions underpinning ACK activity. We conclude that these dimers represent a previously undescribed mode of regulation for the class1A PI3K regulatory subunits and potentially reveal additional avenues for therapeutic intervention.
Chiral secondary and tertiary amines are ubiquitous in pharmaceutical, fine, and specialty chemicals, but their synthesis typically suffers from significant sustainability and selectivity challenges. ...Biocatalytic alternatives, such as enzyme‐catalyzed reductive amination, offer several advantages over traditional chemistry, but industrial applicability has not yet been demonstrated. Herein, we report the use of cell lysates expressing imine reductases operating at 1:1 stoichiometry for a variety of amines and carbonyls. A collection of biocatalysts with diversity in coverage of small molecules and direct industrial applicability is presented.
Biocatalytic reductive amination made easy: Chiral secondary and tertiary amines are ubiquitous in pharmaceutical, fine, and specialty chemicals, but their synthesis typically suffers from significant sustainability and selectivity challenges. Herein, a panel of imine reductases (IREDs) give broad substrate coverage by using stoichiometric reactants with excellent selectivity.