STRUCTURAL STUDIES AND SYNTHETIC APPLICATIONS OF BAEYER-VILLIGER MONOOXYGENASES

Baeyer-Villiger monooxygenases (BVMOs) are enzymes able to perform hig hly regio- plus stereoselective nucleophilic and electrophilic biooxyg enations on various substrates. The resultant chiral products (lactone s and sulfoxides) can be valuable for the chemoenzymatic synthesis of a wide range of useful compounds. Recent studies have provided a numbe r of alternative active-site models that attempt to explain the exquis ite and unusual selectivity of BVMOs. This article reviews some of the established applications, and considers the merits of the various pre dictive models.