Biocatalytic application of nitrilases from Fusarium solani O1 and Aspergillus niger K10

The nitrilases from Fusarium solani O1 and Aspergillus niger K10 showed a broad substrate specificity for carbocyclic and nonaromatic heterocyclic amino nitriles, the preferred substrates being five-membered γ-amino nitrile (±)-1a, six-membered γ-amino nitriles (±)-3a, (±)-5a and (±)-6a, pyrrolidine-3-carbonitriles (±)-9a and (±)-10a as well as piperidine-4-carbonitriles 14a and 15a. Both enzymes showed a strong diastereopreference for cis- vs. trans-γ-amino nitriles. The electronic and steric effects of N-protecting groups affected the reactivity of the nitriles. Amides as by-products of the nitrilase-catalyzed reaction were produced from heterocyclic amino nitriles (±)-9a, (±)-10a, 14a and 15a by the A. niger enzyme but only from nitrile (±)-9a by the F. solani enzyme.