62741-58-6

Usage

Classification

Alpha-keto acid

Common uses

Organic synthesis, pharmaceutical research

Role

Precursor for the synthesis of various pharmaceutical drugs

Chemical structure

Contains a naphthalene ring and a propanoic acid group

Physical state

White to off-white solid at room temperature

Pharmaceutical applications

Production of anticoagulant medications and other therapeutic drugs

Upstream product

• 28095-56-9 2-amino-3-(1-naphthyl)propanoic acid 

Relevant academic research and scientific papers

In vitro evolution of an l-amino acid deaminase active on l-1-naphthylalanine

l-Amino acid deaminase from Proteus myxofaciens (PmaLAAD) is a promising biocatalyst for enantioselective biocatalysis that can be exploited to produce optically pure d-amino acids or α-keto acids. In this study, we improved the catalytic efficiency of PmaLAAD on l-1-naphthylalanine (l-1-Nal), a synthetic amino acid of biotechnological interest. Eight evolvable positions were identified by a molecular docking and evolutionary conservation analysis. These positions were subjected to site-saturation mutagenesis, producing smaller but smarter libraries of variants. The best variant (F318A/V412A/V438P PmaLAAD) possesses a ～5-fold lower Km (0.17 mM) and a ～7-fold higher catalytic efficiency (9.2 s-1 mM-1) on l-1-Nal than the wild-type enzyme. Molecular docking analysis suggests that the substitutions increase the active site volume, allowing better binding of the bulky l-1-Nal substrate. Bioconversion reactions showed that the F318A/V412A/V438P PmaLAAD variant outperforms the wild-type enzyme in the deracemization of d,l-1-Nal: the complete conversion of 0.6 mM of the l-enantiomer was achieved in about 15 min, which is ～7.5-fold faster than the wild-type enzyme. In addition, the F318A/V412A/V438P PmaLAAD is efficiently employed, together with the M213G d-amino acid oxidase variant, to produce 1-naphtylpyruvate from racemic d,l-1-Nal in one pot.

Deracemization and Stereoinversion of α-Amino Acids by l-Amino Acid Deaminase

Enantiomerically pure α-amino acids are compounds of primary interest for the fine chemical, pharmaceutical, and agrochemical sectors. Amino acid oxidases are used for resolving d,l-amino acids in biocatalysis. We recently demonstrated that l-amino acid deaminase from Proteus myxofaciens (PmaLAAD) shows peculiar features for biotechnological applications, such as a high production level as soluble protein in Escherichia coli and a stable binding with the flavin cofactor. Since l-amino acid deaminases are membrane-bound enzymes, previous applications were mainly based on the use of cell-based methods. Now, taking advantage of the broad substrate specificity of PmaLAAD, a number of natural and synthetic l-amino acids were fully converted by the purified enzyme into the corresponding α-keto acids: the fastest conversion was obtained for 4-nitrophenylalanine. Analogously, starting from racemic solutions, the full resolution (ee >99%) was also achieved. Notably, d,l-1-naphthylalanine was resolved either into the d- or the l-enantiomer by using PmaLAAD or the d-amino acid oxidase variant having a glycine at position 213, respectively, and was fully deracemized when the two enzymes were used jointly. Moreover, the complete stereoinversion of l-4-nitrophenylalanine was achieved using PmaLAAD and a small molar excess of borane tert-butylamine complex. Taken together, recombinant PmaLAAD represents an l-specific amino acid deaminase suitable for producing the pure enantiomers of several natural and synthetic amino acids or the corresponding keto acids, compounds of biotechnological or pharmaceutical relevance. (Figure presented.).

Enzymatic conversion of unnatural amino acids by yeast D-amino acid oxidase

Unnatural amino acids, particularly synthetic α-amino acids, are becoming crucial tools for modern drug discovery research. In particular, this application requires enantiomerically pure isomers. In this work we report on the resolution of racemic mixtures of the amino acids D,L-naphthylalanine and D,L-naphthylglycine by using a natural enzyme, D-amino acid oxidase from the yeast Rhodotorula gracilis. A significant improvement of the bioconversion is obtained using a single-point mutant enzyme designed by a rational approach. With this D-amino acid oxidase variant the complete resolution of all the unnatural amino acids tested was obtained: in this case, the bioconversion requires a shorter time and a lower amount of biocatalyst compared to the wild-type enzyme. The simultaneous production of the corresponding α-keto acid, a possible precursor of the amino acid in the L-form, improves the significance of the procedure.