Amine dehydrogenases: Current status and potential value for chiral amine synthesis

Chiral amines are crucial precursors of various pharmaceutical drugs, fine chemicals, and bioactive molecules. Amine dehydrogenases (AmDHs) have attracted increasing attention for chiral-amine synthesis, with great potentials to overcome the shortcomings of conventional chemical methods. However, the narrow substrate scope and expensive cofactors required can be quite challenging for the AmDHs. A number of attempts have been made to improve AmDHs and their reaction systems. The available AmDHs are mainly obtained by the discovery of the naturalAmDHs and the engineering of amino acid dehydrogenases. In this review, recent advances in the structures, mechanisms, and mutation studies of AmDHs are discussed in detail, facilitating the engineering of AmDHs more efficiently. Besides, various enzyme-coupled and immobilization strategies have been designed to optimize the AmDH- catalyzed reaction systems, not only achieving the cofactor regeneration but also enhancing the productivity. Future research directions for improving the performance and reaction system of AmDHs are evaluated.

Automated summary

This review discusses the importance and challenges of AmDHs in chiral-amine synthesis, as well as recent advances and engineering design strategies. By exploring the structures, mechanisms, and mutation studies of AmDHs, as well as the development of optimized reaction systems, guidance and direction are provided for improving the performance and efficiency of AmDHs.