The biocatalytic employment of modular polyketide synthase enzymes in cell lysate
has become a viable route to preparative quantities of synthetically valuable polyketide
fragments. We report the quantitative, uninvasive, and continuous monitoring of such
biocatalytic reactions by observing trifluoromethyl-bearing substrates via 19F NMR spectroscopic analysis. To demonstrate the utility of this technique, we followed
reactions catalyzed by a thioesterase and several ketoreductases.
Key words
biosynthesis - biocatalysis - polyketide synthase enzymes - polyketide - fluorine
NMR