Enzymatic processes for the production of 4-substituted 3-hydroxybutyric acid derivatives and vicinal cyano, hydroxy substituted carboxylic acid esters

1. A method for producing a vicinal cyano, hydroxy substituted carboxylic acid ester from a vicinal halo, hydroxy substituted carboxylic acid ester, the method comprising:

(a) providing a vicinal halo, hydroxy substituted carboxylic acid ester,

wherein the halo substituent is selected from the group consisting of chlorine, bromine, and iodine; and

(b) contacting the vicinal halo, hydroxy substituted carboxylic acid ester with a halohydrin dehalogenase and cyanide under conditions suitable to form a reaction mixture for converting the vicinal halo, hydroxy substituted carboxylic acid ester to a vicinal cyano, hydroxy substituted carboxylic acid ester.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the vicinal cyano, hydroxy substituted carboxylic acid ester is a non-racemic chiral vicinal cyano, hydroxy substituted carboxylic acid ester.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the cyanide is provided by hydrocyanic acid.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the cyanide is provided by a cyanide salt.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the halo substituent of the vicinal halo, hydroxy substituted carboxylic acid ester is selected from chlorine and bromine.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the vicinal halo, hydroxy substituted carboxylic acid ester is a vicinal chloro, hydroxy substituted carboxylic acid ester.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the vicinal halo, hydroxy substituted carboxylic acid ester is a lower alkyl ester.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein

(1) the vicinal halo, hydroxy substituted carboxylic acid ester has the structure:

and

(2) the vicinal cyano, hydroxy substituted carboxylic acid ester has the structure:

wherein:

X is a halogen selected from the group consisting of chlorine, bromine, and iodine;

R 1 , R 2 , and R 6 are each independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, fluorine, an optionally substituted lower alkyl, an optionally substituted cycloalkyl, an optionally substituted lower alkenyl, an optionally substituted aryl, an optionally substituted arylalkyl, amino, an optionally substituted lower alkylamino, an optionally substituted cycloalldyamino, an optionally substituted lower alkoxy, an optionally substituted cycloalkoxy, an optionally substituted aryloxy, and an optionally substituted arylalkoxy; and

R 5 is selected from the group consisting of an optionally substituted lower alkyl, an optionally substituted cycloalkyl, an optionally substituted aryl, and an optionally substituted arylalkyl; and

each M n is independently selected from —C(═O)— (i.e., carbonyl) or —CR n ′R n ″—, wherein R n ′ and R n ″ are each independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, fluorine, an optionally substituted lower alkyl, an optionally substituted cycloalkyl, an optionally substituted lower alkenyl, an optionally substituted aryl, an optionally substituted arylalkyl, amino, an optionally substituted lower alkylamino, an optionally substituted cycloalklyamino, an optionally substituted lower alkoxy, an optionally substituted cycloalkoxy, an optionally substituted aryloxy, an optionally substituted aryl, hydroxyl, nitro, amino, cyano, carboxy (i.e. a carboxylate or carboxylic acid group), carboalkoxy (i.e. an ester group), carbamide (i.e.an amide group), and acyl (i.e. forming a ketone); and

n is zero or an integer from 1 to 9, inclusive.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein n is an integer from 2 to 8, inclusive.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein n is 3.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the vicinal cyano, hydroxy substituted carboxylic acid ester is a 6-halo-5-hydroxyhexanoic acid ester.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein

(1) the vicinal halo, hydroxy substituted carboxylic acid ester has the structure:

and

(2) the vicinal cyano, hydroxy substituted carboxylic acid ester has the structure:

wherein:

X is a halogen selected from the group consisting of chlorine, bromine, and iodine;

R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , R 4 , R 6 , R 1 ′, R 1 ″, R 3 ′, and R 3 ″ are each independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, fluorine, an optionally substituted lower alkyl, an optionally substituted cycloalkyl, an optionally substituted lower alkenyl, an optionally substituted aryl, an optionally substituted arylalkyl, amino, an optionally substituted lower alkylamino, an optionally substituted cycloalklyamino, an optionally substituted lower alkoxy, an optionally substituted cycloalkoxy, an optionally substituted aryloxy, and an optionally substituted arylalkoxy; and

R 5 is selected from the group consisting of an optionally substituted lower alkyl, an optionally substituted cycloalkyl, an optionally substituted aryl, and an optionally substituted arylalkyl.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein

(1) the vicinal halo, hydroxy substituted carboxylic acid ester has the structure:

and

(2) the vicinal cyano, hydroxy substituted carboxylic acid ester has the structure:

wherein:

X is a halogen selected from the group consisting of chlorine, bromine, and iodine;

R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , R 4 , R 6 , R 1 ′, R 1 ″, R 2 ″, R 3 ′, and R 3 ″ are each independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, fluorine, an optionally substituted lower alkyl, an optionally substituted cycloalkyl, an optionally substituted lower alkenyl, an optionally substituted aryl, an optionally substituted arylalkyl, amino, an optionally substituted lower alkylamino, an optionally substituted cycloalklyamino, an optionally substituted lower alkoxy, an optionally substituted cycloalkoxy, an optionally substituted aryloxy, and an optionally substituted arylalkoxy; and

R 5 is selected from the group consisting of an optionally substituted lower alkyl, an optionally substituted cycloalkyl, an optionally substituted aryl, and an optionally substituted arylalkyl.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein

(1) the vicinal halo, hydroxy substituted carboxylic acid ester has the structure:

and

(2) the vicinal cyano, hydroxy substituted carboxylic acid ester has the structure:

wherein:

X is a halogen selected from the group consisting of chlorine, bromine, and iodine;

R 1 , R 2 , and R 6 are each independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, fluorine, an optionally substituted lower alkyl, an optionally substituted cycloalkyl, an optionally substituted lower alkenyl, an optionally substituted aryl, an optionally substituted arylalkyl, amino, an optionally substituted lower alkylamino, an optionally substituted cycloalklyamino, an optionally substituted lower alkoxy, an optionally substituted cycloalkoxy, an optionally substituted aryloxy, and an optionally substituted arylalkoxy; and

R 5 is selected from the group consisting of an optionally substituted lower alkyl, an optionally substituted cycloalkyl, an optionally substituted aryl, and an optionally substituted arylalkyl.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein the halohydrin dehalogenase is a naturally occurring halohydrin dehalogenase.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein the halohydrin dehalogenase is a non-naturally occurring halohydrin dehalogenase.

17. The method of claim 1 , wherein the reaction mixture for converting the vicinal halo, hydroxy substituted carboxylic acid ester to a vicinal cyano, hydroxy substituted carboxylic acid ester is maintained at a pH in the range of from about 5 to about 9.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the reaction mixture for converting the vicinal halo, hydroxy substituted carboxylic acid ester to a vicinal cyano, hydroxy substituted carboxylic acid ester is maintained at a pH in the range of from about 5 to about 8.

19. The method of claim 1 , wherein the reaction mixture for converting the vicinal halo, hydroxy substituted carboxylic acid ester to a vicinal cyano, hydroxy substituted carboxylic acid ester is maintained at a pH of about 8 or below.

20. The method of claim 1 , wherein the reaction mixture for converting the vicinal halo, hydroxy substituted carboxylic acid ester to a vicinal cyano, hydroxy substituted carboxylic acid ester further comprises a pH buffer.

21. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

(c) adding a base sufficient to maintain the reaction mixture for converting the vicinal halo, hydroxy substituted carboxylic acid ester to a vicinal cyano, hydroxy substituted carboxylic acid ester at a pH of about 5 or above.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein the base is selected from hydroxide salts, carbonate salts, and bicarbonate salts.

23. The method of claim 21 wherein the base is selected from a cyanide salt.

24. The method of claim 1 , further comprising recovering the vicinal cyano, hydroxy substituted carboxylic acid ester from the reaction mixture for converting the vicinal halo, hydroxy substituted carboxylic acid ester to a vicinal cyano, hydroxy substituted carboxylic acid ester.

25. The method of claim 22 , further comprising purifying the vicinal cyano, hydroxy substituted carboxylic acid ester.