One Step Forward In Exploration Of Class Ii Pyruvate Aldolases Nucleophile And Electrophile Substrate Specificity

Originally named according to their strict nucleophile specificity towards pyruvate, some pyruvate aldolases were demonstrated to be able to convert other nucleophiles. This study illustrates that the nucleophile 2-oxopentanoate successfully reacted with various aldehydes and even ketones. Unknown aldols with a 3S configuration were then isolated, characterized, and their stereochemistries could be set as either 4R or 4S by choosing the appropriate aldolase.