Two novel cyanobacterial α-dioxygenases for the biosynthesis of fatty aldehydes.

In Jung Kim, Yannik Brack, Thomas Bayer, Uwe T Bornscheuer

Applied microbiology and biotechnology 2022 Jan

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α-Dioxygenases (α-DOXs) are known as plant enzymes involved in the α-oxidation of fatty acids through which fatty aldehydes, with a high commercial value as flavor and fragrance compounds, are synthesized as products. Currently, little is known about α-DOXs from non-plant organisms. The phylogenic analysis reported here identified a substantial number of α-DOX enzymes across various taxa. Here, we report the functional characterization and Escherichia coli whole-cell application of two novel α-DOXs identified from cyanobacteria: CalDOX from Calothrix parietina and LepDOX from Leptolyngbya sp. The catalytic behavior of the recombinantly expressed CalDOX and LepDOX revealed that they are heme-dependent like plant α-DOXs but exhibit activities toward medium carbon fatty acids ranging from C10 to C14 unlike plant α-DOXs. The in-depth molecular investigation of cyanobacterial α-DOXs and their application in an E. coli whole system employed in this study is useful not only for the understanding of the molecular function of α-DOXs, but also for their industrial utilization in fatty aldehyde biosynthesis.Key points• Two novel α-dioxygenases from Cyanobacteria are reported• Both enzymes prefer medium-chain fatty acids• Both enzymes are useful for fatty aldehyde biosynthesis. © 2021. The Author(s).

Citation

In Jung Kim, Yannik Brack, Thomas Bayer, Uwe T Bornscheuer. Two novel cyanobacterial α-dioxygenases for the biosynthesis of fatty aldehydes. Applied microbiology and biotechnology. 2022 Jan;106(1):197-210