Recent Progress in the Mechanism and Engineering of α/β Hydrolases for Chiral Chemical Production

Chiral compounds are valuable industrial products and intermediates, and the production of chemicals with high enantiopurity is one of the major objects in asymmetric catalysis. Compared with traditional chemical synthesis, enzymatic synthesis can produce chiral molecules under sustainable conditions which are much greener, more economical, and more environmentally friendly. The superfamily of α/β hydrolases includes a lot of diverse enzymes showing excellent chemo-, regio-, and enantio-selectivity in asymmetric synthesis and many of them are biocatalysts in industry. This review outlines the current knowledge of the structures and reaction mechanism of α/β hydrolases and summarizes the screening and protein engineering efforts to develop biocatalysts for chiral chemicals production in recent years. Other strategies such as whole-cell catalysis and protein immobilization to improve the performance of α/β hydrolases are also discussed. The progress in biocatalyst development based on α/β hydrolases will promote the biosynthesis of chiral compounds, thus contributing to the green and sustainable development of the chemical and pharmaceutical industry.