Issue 8, 2024

Mild hydrolysis of chemically stable valerolactams by a biocatalytic ATP-dependent system fueled by metaphosphate

Abstract

Medium-sized 5- and 6-membered ring lactams are molecules with remarkable stability, in contrast to smaller β-lactams. As monomers, they grant access to nylon-4 and nylon-5, which are alternative polyamides to widespread caprolactam-based nylon-6. Chemical hydrolysis of monocyclic γ- and δ-lactams to the corresponding amino acids requires harsh reaction conditions and up to now, no mild (enzymatic) protocol has been reported. Herein, the biocatalytic potential of a pair of heterologously expressed bacterial ATP-dependent oxoprolinases – OplA and OplB – was exploited. Strong activity in the presence of excess of ATP was monitored on δ-valerolactam and derivatives thereof, while trace activity was detected on γ-butyrolactam. An ATP recycling system based on cheap Graham's salt (sodium metaphosphate) and a polyphosphate kinase allowed the use of catalytic amounts of ATP, leading to up to full conversion of 10 mM δ-valerolactam at 30 °C in aqueous medium. Further improvements were obtained by co-expressing OplA and OplB using the pETDuet1 vector, a strategy which enhanced the soluble expression yield and the protein stability. Finally, a range of phosphodonors was investigated in place of ATP. With acetyl phosphate and carbamoyl phosphate, turnover numbers up to 176 were reached, providing hints on a possible mechanism, which was studied by 31P-NMR.

Graphical abstract: Mild hydrolysis of chemically stable valerolactams by a biocatalytic ATP-dependent system fueled by metaphosphate

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
15 11 2023
Accepted
07 12 2023
First published
07 12 2023
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY license

Green Chem., 2024,26, 4498-4505

Mild hydrolysis of chemically stable valerolactams by a biocatalytic ATP-dependent system fueled by metaphosphate

S. Roth, S. Gandomkar, F. Rossi and M. Hall, Green Chem., 2024, 26, 4498 DOI: 10.1039/D3GC04434C

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