The enzymatic synthesis of terpenes was investigated by using a cascade based on the mevalonic acid pathway. Suitable enzymes from all kingdoms of life were identified and combined to give rise to geosmin and patchoulol as representative compounds. The pathway was studied in three separate segments, which were subsequently combined in a ten-step cascade plus added cofactor regeneration systems. The cascade delivers farnesyl pyrophosphate with >40 % conversion and cyclises it to sesquiterpenes with >90 % conversion.

To improve our mechanistic understanding of zinc metalloenzymes, we report a joint computational and experimental study of a minimal carbonic anhydrase (CA) mimic, a 22-residue Zn-finger hydrolase. We combine classical molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) geometry optimizations, and QM/MM free energy simulations with ambient and high-pressure kinetic measurements to investigate the mechanism of the hydrolysis of the substrate p-nitrophenylacetate (pNPA). The zinc center of the hydrolase prefers a pentacoordinated geometry, as found in most naturally occurring CAs and CA-like enzymes. Two possible mechanisms for the catalytic reaction are investigated. The first one is analogous to the commonly accepted mechanism for CA-like enzymes: a sequential pathway, in which a Zn-bound hydroxide acts as a nucleophile and the hydrolysis proceeds through a tetrahedral intermediate. The initial rate-limiting step of this reaction is the nucleophilic attack of the hydroxide on pNPA to form the tetrahedral intermediate. The computed free energy barrier of 18.5 kcal/mol is consistent with the experimental value of 20.5 kcal/mol obtained from our kinetics experiments. We also explore an alternative reverse protonation pathway for the hydrolase, in which a nearby hydroxide ion from the bulk acts as the nucleophile (instead of a zinc-bound hydroxide). According to QM/MM MD simulations, hydrolysis occurs spontaneously along this pathway. However, this second scenario is not viable in our system, as the tertiary structure of the hydrolase lacks a suitably positioned residue that would act as a general base and generate a hydroxide ion from a nearby bulk water molecule. Hence, our combined theoretical and experimental study indicates that the investigated minimal CA mimic retains the essential mechanistic features of CA-like enzyme catalysis. The high-pressure experiments show that its catalytic efficiency can be enhanced by applying hydrostatic pressure. According to the simulations, more drastic improvements might be afforded by mutations that make the reverse protonation pathway accessible.

The absolute configuration (AC) of the common precursor of the fusicoccane family of terpenoids, fusicocca-2,10(14)-diene (FCdiene), had only been deduced by a lengthy total synthesis, or indirectly from crystal structures of fusicoccin A. However, in particular the AC determinations based on downstream products of the terpene synthase intrinsically overlook potential epimerization reactions. In this contribution, we confirm the relative stereochemistry of FCdiene by comparison of experimental and predicted C-NMR chemical shifts, and finally determine the absolute configuration from an analysis of its infrared and vibrational circular dichroism spectra.

3-Hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase was investigated in different organic cosolvents by means of kinetic and calorimetric measurements, molecular dynamics simulations, and small-angle X-ray scattering. The combined experimental and theoretical techniques were essential to complement each other's limitations in the investigation of the complex interaction pattern between the enzyme, different solvent types, and concentrations. In this way, the underlying mechanisms for the loss of enzyme activity in different water-miscible solvents could be elucidated. These include direct inhibitory effects onto the active center and structural distortions.