Electrochemical Recycling of Adenosine Triphosphate in Biocatalytic Reaction Cascades

Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) provides the driving force necessary for critical biological functions in all living organisms. In synthetic biocatalytic reactions, this cofactor is recycled in situ using high-energy stoichiometric reagents, an approach that generates waste and poses challenges with enzyme stability. On the other hand, an electrochemical recycling system would use electrons as a convenient source of energy. We report a method that uses electricity to turn over enzymes for ATP generation in a simplified cellular respiration mimic. The method is simple, robust, and scalable, as well as broadly applicable to complex enzymatic processes including a four-enzyme biocatalytic cascade in the synthesis of the antiviral molnupiravir.

Automated summary

This study reports a simplified cellular respiration mimic method that uses electricity to recycle enzymes for ATP generation. The method is simple, robust, and scalable, and applicable to complex enzymatic processes.