Dearomatisation by asymmetric methylation

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Michael Müller
• Subject Area: Biological and Biomimetic Chemistry
• Term: since 2023
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 510974120

In this project, asymmetric de-aromatization by SAM-dependent methylation will be investigated. Our goal is to capture the transient keto intermediate in the SAM-dependent C methylation of phenols by a second enzymatic transformation, which could be either nucleophilic (by reduction as in the case of estradiol) or electrophilic (by a second methylation as in the case of tasmanone). Identification of enzyme candidates using bioinformatics is performed in the Pleiss group, while structural elucidation will be done by the Blankenfeldt group. Development of enzyme variants and assay methods is being done jointly with the Hammer group. These approaches enable alternative metabolic degradation methods as well as novel asymmetric biocatalytic transformations to chiral compounds.

• DFG Programme: Research Units
• Subproject of: FOR 5596: Unfolding the potential of S-adenosylmethionine-dependent enzyme chemistry