Enantioselective C-H amination via directed evolution of cytochrome P450 enzymes

Abstract

The selective functionalization of ubiquitous C-H bonds can greatly streamline the construction of complex mol. architectures from easily available precursors. In particular, the development of general systems for the regio- and enantioselective transformation of C-H bonds lies at the forefront of current efforts to further advance transition-metalcatalyzed C-H functionalization. In this talk, I will discuss recent work from the Arnold lab at Caltech on using engineered cytochromes P 450 for C-H amination processes. These genetically encoded enzymes are produced and function in bacteria, where they can be easily optimized by directed evolution. With this biocatalytic platform, a range of challenging C-H amination processes can be accomplished with excellent total turnover nos. in a regio- and stereocontrolled fashion.