The
ability to site-selectively modify equivalent functional groups
in a molecule has the potential to streamline syntheses and increase
product yields by lowering step counts. Enzymes catalyze site-selective
transformations throughout primary and secondary metabolism, but leveraging
this capability for non-native substrates and reactions requires a
detailed understanding of the potential and limitations of enzyme
catalysis and how these bounds can be extended by protein engineering.
In this review, we discuss representative examples of site-selective
enzyme catalysis involving functional group manipulation and C–H
bond functionalization. We include illustrative examples of native
catalysis, but our focus is on cases involving non-native substrates
and reactions often using engineered enzymes. We then discuss the
use of these enzymes for chemoenzymatic transformations and target-oriented
synthesis and conclude with a survey of tools and techniques that
could expand the scope of non-native site-selective enzyme catalysis.