Abstract
New chemo- and biocatalytic methodology is important for the future sustainable synthesis of essential molecules. Transition metal catalysis enables the late-stage C−H functionalization of some complex molecular scaffolds, providing rapid routes to valuable products, although this is largely dependent on the availability of electronically or sterically predisposed C−H bonds for selective metalation, leaving certain regioselectivities inaccessible. Unlike metal chemocatalysis, enzymes can catalyse C−H bond functionalization, discriminating between near-identical, non-activated C−H bonds, delivering products with exquisite regioselectivity. However, enzymes typically provide access to fewer functionalities than more divergent chemocatalysis. Here we report programmable, regioselective C−H bond functionalization methodologies for the installation of versatile nitrile, amide and carboxylic acid moieties through integration of halogenase enzymes with palladium-catalysed cyanation and subsequent incorporation of nitrile hydratase or nitrilase enzymes. Using two- or three-component chemobiocatalytic systems, the regioselective synthesis of complex target molecules, including pharmaceuticals, can be achieved in a one-pot process operable on a gram scale.
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Data availability
Sequences of enzymes used in the study are provided in the Supplementary Information. The original materials and data that support the findings of this study are available within the paper and its Supplementary Information or can be obtained from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
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Acknowledgements
We acknowledge BBSRC (grant BB/R01034X/1), EPSRC and GlaxoSmithKline for support awarded to J.M. We are grateful to L. Bering and A. J. Herbert for helpful discussions. R. Sung and K. Hollywood from Michael Barber Centre for Mass Spectrometry and M. J. Cliff (NMR) are also acknowledged for analytical support. We are also grateful to Prozomix for providing some of the enzymes screened in this study.
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J.M. led the project. E.J.C, J.L., S.A.S., I.K., M.F.G. and J.M. designed experiments. E.J.C. and J.M. co-wrote the paper. E.J.C., J.L., S.A.S., I.K., A.D.-R., M.F.G. and J.M. analysed data and reviewed the manuscript.
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Supplementary Methods, Tables 1–5, Figs. 1–135 and References.
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Craven, E.J., Latham, J., Shepherd, S.A. et al. Programmable late-stage C−H bond functionalization enabled by integration of enzymes with chemocatalysis. Nat Catal 4, 385–394 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41929-021-00603-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41929-021-00603-3
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