Cázares, Rios-Solis et al. - 2010 - Non-alpha-hydroxylated aldehydes with evolved transketolase enzymes (original) (raw)

The study investigates the biocatalytic potential of transketolase (TK) enzymes in the synthesis of non-alpha-hydroxylated aldehydes, emphasizing their applications in organic chemistry. By employing saturation mutagenesis on key active site residues of TK, mutants exhibiting enhanced activity and stereoselectivity towards substrates, including glycolaldehyde and propanal, were developed. The findings suggest significant improvements in enzyme specificity and performance, which could facilitate broader industrial applications of TK in synthetic organic chemistry while highlighting the importance of understanding substrate tolerance.