Enzymatic Photodecarboxylation on Secondary and Tertiary Carboxylic Acids

Abstract

Photoenzymatic decarboxylation of bulky secondary and tertiary carboxylic acids catalyzed by engineered <i>Chlorella variabilis</i> fatty acid photodecarboxylase (<i>Cv</i>FAP) is reported. Rational design and directed evolution of wild-type <i>Cv</i>FAP are used to improve the reactivity and expand potential applications. Moreover, engineered <i>Cv</i>FAP can catalyze light-driven kinetic resolution of α-substituted carboxylic acid. Our work sheds light on the production of chiral building blocks and bioactive molecules from bulky carboxylic acids via the photoenzymatic way.