enhancement: The X‐ray crystal structure of an arylmalonatedecarboxylase (AMDase) with a mechanism‐based inhibitor bound to an active‐site dioxyanion hole provides insight into the mechanism of this intriguing enzyme. The structure also guided the extension of the AMDase biocatalytic repertoire to include a wide range of α‐alkenyl as well as α‐arylmalonates.
Arylmalonatedecarboxylase (AMDase) catalyzes the cofactor‐free asymmetric decarboxylation of prochiral arylmalonic acids and produces the corresponding monoacids with rigorous R selectivity. Alteration of catalytic cysteine residues and of the hydrophobic environment in the active site by protein engineering has previously resulted in the generation of variants with opposite enantioselectivity and