Efficient biosynthesis of (R)-3-amino-1-butanol by a novel (R)-selective transaminase from Actinobacteria sp.

( R )-3-amino-1-butanol is a key intermediate of Dolutegravir for the treatment of HIV/AIDS and its green and efficient biosynthesis has attracted a great deal of attention. Transaminases are currently used as promising biocatalyst for the synthesis of chiral amines. However, many transaminases have ( S )-specificity and ( R )-selective transaminases were less exploited and studied, making the production of ( R )-amines remain challenging. In this study, a novel transaminase from Actinobacteria sp. ( As -TA) was obtained and applied for the biosynthesis of ( R )-3-amino-1-butanol by transferring the amino group from isopropylamine to 4-hydroxy-2-butanone. After optimization of the reaction condition and using a substrate fed-batch strategy, the conversion of 100, 200, 300, 400 and 500 mM 4-hydroxy-2-butanone reached 100%, 94.9%, 86.1%, 76.1% and 70.9%, respectively. ( R )-3-amino-1-butanol with a maximum yield of 29.6 g/L and 99.9% e.e. value was obtained. This was the first time demonstrating the successful biosynthesis of ( R )-3-amino-1-butanol with transaminase as biocatalyst and the obtained As -TA enriched the enzyme pool of transaminase with ( R )-specificity.