An Integrated Cofactor/Co-Product Recycling Cascade for the Biosynthesis of Nylon Monomers from Cycloalkylamines

We report a highly atom-efficient integrated cofactor/co-product recycling cascade employing cycloalkylamines as multifaceted starting materials for the synthesis of nylon building blocks. Reactions using E. coli whole cells as well as purified enzymes produced excellent conversions ranging from >80 and 95 % into desired omega-amino acids, respectively with varying substrate concentrations. The applicability of this tandem biocatalytic cascade was demonstrated to produce the corresponding lactams by employing engineered biocatalysts. For instance, epsilon-caprolactam, a valuable polymer building block was synthesized with 75 % conversion from 10 mM cyclohexylamine by employing whole-cell biocatalysts. This cascade could be an alternative for bio-based production of omega-amino acids and corresponding lactam compounds.

Automated summary

A highly atom-efficient integrated cofactor/co-product recycling cascade using cycloalkylamines for the synthesis of nylon building blocks was reported, achieving excellent conversions with E. coli whole cells and purified enzymes. The tandem biocatalytic cascade was demonstrated to produce lactams using engineered biocatalysts, showing promise as an alternative for bio-based production of omega-amino acids and corresponding lactam compounds.