C-C Hydrolases for Biocatalysis

Although CC bond hydrolases are distributed widely in Nature, they has as yet have received only limited attention in the area of biocatalysis compared to their counterpart the C-heteroatom hydrolases, such as lipases and proteases. However, the substrate range of CC hydrolases, and their non-dependence on cofactors, suggest that these enzymes may have considerable potential for applications in synthesis. In addition, hydrolases such as the -diketone hydrolase from Rhodococcus (OCH) are known, that catalyse the formation of interesting chiral intermediates. Further enzymes, such as kynureninase and a meta-cleavage product hydrolase (MhpC), are able to catalyse carbon-carbon bond formation, suggesting wider applications in biocatalysis than previously envisaged. In this review, the distribution, catalytic characteristics and applications of CC hydrolases are described, with a view to assessing their potentialfor use in biocatalytic processes in the future.