The review article by Vlada Urlacher and Katja Koschorreck “Pecularities and applications of aryl-alcohol oxidases from fungi” was published in “Applied Mocrobiology and Biotechnology”.
Aryl-alcohol oxidases (AAOs) are FAD-containing enzymes that oxidize a broad range of aromatic as well as aliphaticallylic alcohols to aldehydes. Their broad substrate spectrum accompanied by the only need for molecular oxygen for catalysis and production of hydrogen peroxide as the sole by-product renders these enzymes promising biocatalysts. AAOs were used in the synthesis of flavors, fragrances and other high-value added compounds and building blocks as well as in dye decolorization and pulp biobleaching. Furthermore, AAOs offer a huge potential as efficient suppliers of hydrogen peroxide for peroxidase- and peroxygenase-catalyzed reactions. A prerequisite for application as biocatalysts at larger scale is the production of AAOs in sufficient amounts. Heterologous expression of these predominantly fungal enzymes is, however, quite challenging. This review summarizes different approaches aiming at enhancing heterologous expression of AAOs and gives an update on substrates accepted by these enzymes as well as potential fields of their application.
Urlacher VB and Koschorreck K, 2021, Pecularities and applications of aryl-alcohol oxidases from fungi, Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology, in press, https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-021-11337-4