Dehaloperoxidase Catalyzed Stereoselective Synthesis of Cyclopropanol Esters

J Org Chem. 2023 Jun 16;88(12):7630-7640. doi: 10.1021/acs.joc.2c02030. Epub 2022 Dec 21.

Abstract

Chiral cyclopropanols are highly desirable building blocks for medicinal chemistry, but the stereoselective synthesis of these molecules remains challenging. Here, a novel strategy is reported for the diastereo- and enantioselective synthesis of cyclopropanol derivatives via the biocatalytic asymmetric cyclopropanation of vinyl esters with ethyl diazoacetate (EDA). A dehaloperoxidase enzyme from Amphitrite ornata was repurposed to catalyze this challenging cyclopropanation reaction, and its activity and stereoselectivity were optimized via protein engineering. Using this system, a broad range of electron-deficient vinyl esters were efficiently converted to the desired cyclopropanation products with up to 99.5:0.5 diastereomeric and enantiomeric ratios. In addition, the engineered dehaloperoxidase-based biocatalyst is able to catalyze a variety of other abiological carbene transfer reactions, including N-H/S-H carbene insertion with EDA as well as cyclopropanation with diazoacetonitrile, thus adding to the multifunctionality of this enzyme and defining it as a valuable new scaffold for the development of novel carbene transferases.

MeSH terms

  • Biocatalysis
  • Catalysis
  • Esters*

Substances

  • cyclopropanol
  • Esters
  • carbene