β-Styryl- and β-Aryl-β-alanine Products of Phenylalanine Aminomutase Catalysis

Abstract

The substrate specificity of a Taxus-derived phenylalanine aminomutase (PAM) was investigated, and the enzyme was found to catalyze the conversion of variously substituted vinyl- and aryl-S-α-alanines to corresponding β-amino acids. This study shows the broad substrate specificity of PAM and thus demonstrates a potential, practical biosynthetic route toward unnatural β-amino acid subunits of Taxol analogues and β-peptides.