Directed evolution of enantioselective enzymes for organic chemistry

The production of enantiopure compounds is of steadily increasing importanc e to the chemical and biotechnological industries. In principal, the applic ation of directed evolution in combination with newly developed screening m ethods enables the generation of enzymes with improved enantioselectivity. The first and most advanced example relates to a bacterial lipase from Pseu domonas aeruginosa. This enzyme was evolved towards a model substrate to yi eld in a lipase mutant showing >90% enantiomeric excess as compared to 2% f or the wild-type lipase. The creation of enantioselective enzymes by direct ed evolution will become an important technology in the near future.