Enantio- and Diastereoenriched Enzymatic Synthesis of 1,2,3-Polysubstituted Cyclopropanes from (Z/ E)-Trisubstituted Enol Acetates

J Am Chem Soc. 2023 Jul 26;145(29):16176-16185. doi: 10.1021/jacs.3c04870. Epub 2023 Jul 11.

Abstract

In nature and synthetic chemistry, stereoselective [2 + 1] cyclopropanation is the most prevalent strategy for the synthesis of chiral cyclopropanes, a class of key pharmacophores in pharmaceuticals and bioactive natural products. One of the most extensively studied reactions in the organic chemist's arsenal, stereoselective [2 + 1] cyclopropanation, largely relies on the use of stereodefined olefins, which can require elaborate laboratory synthesis or tedious separation to ensure high stereoselectivity. Here, we report engineered hemoproteins derived from a bacterial cytochrome P450 that catalyze the synthesis of chiral 1,2,3-polysubstituted cyclopropanes, regardless of the stereopurity of the olefin substrates used. Cytochrome P450BM3 variant P411-INC-5185 exclusively converts (Z)-enol acetates to enantio- and diastereoenriched cyclopropanes and in the model reaction delivers a leftover (E)-enol acetate with 98% stereopurity, using whole Escherichia coli cells. P411-INC-5185 was further engineered with a single mutation to enable the biotransformation of (E)-enol acetates to α-branched ketones with high levels of enantioselectivity while simultaneously catalyzing the cyclopropanation of (Z)-enol acetates with excellent activities and selectivities. We conducted docking studies and molecular dynamics simulations to understand how active-site residues distinguish between the substrate isomers and enable the enzyme to perform these distinct transformations with such high selectivities. Computational studies suggest the observed enantio- and diastereoselectivities are achieved through a stepwise pathway. These biotransformations streamline the synthesis of chiral 1,2,3-polysubstituted cyclopropanes from readily available mixtures of (Z/E)-olefins, adding a new dimension to classical cyclopropanation methods.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Acetates
  • Alcohols
  • Alkenes / chemistry
  • Cyclopropanes* / chemistry
  • Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System* / metabolism
  • Stereoisomerism

Substances

  • Cyclopropanes
  • Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System
  • Alcohols
  • Acetates
  • Alkenes