Catalytic mechanism and application of formate dehydrogenase

NAD(+)-dependent formate dehydrogenase (FDH) is an abundant enzyme that plays an important role in energy supply of methylotrophic microorganisms and in response to stress in plants. FDH belongs to the superfamily of D-specific 2-hydroxy acid dehydrogenases. FDH is widely accepted as a model enzyme to study the mechanism of hydride ion transfer in the active center of dehydrogenases because the reaction catalyzed by the enzyme is devoid of proton transfer steps and implies a substrate with relatively simple structure. FDH is also widely used in enzymatic syntheses of optically active compounds as a versatile biocatalyst for NAD(P)H regeneration consumed in the main reaction. This review covers the late developments in cloning genes of FDH from various sources, studies of its catalytic mechanism and physiological role, and its application for new chiral syntheses.