Patent ID: 9023627
Filing Date: 2015-05-05
Classification: C12N,C12P,C12Y

Abstract:
1. A method for converting formaldehyde to dihydroxyacetone, comprising contacting formaldehyde with a thiamine diphosphate cofactor and a polypeptide comprising a motif capable of forming hydrogen bonds with the thiamine diphosphate cofactor, wherein the polypeptide comprises a sequence with at least 80% identity to the benzaldehyde lyase sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:2; wherein the motif comprises a histidine residue in a first position corresponding to amino acid residue position wherein upon association with the thiamine diphosphate cofactor, the cofactor pyrimidine N1 is hydrogen bonded to the acid side chain of the glutamic acid residue or the acid side chain of the aspartic acid residue of the motif; and wherein the histidine N1 and the amide side chain of the asparagine residue or the amide side chain of the glutamine residue are capable of making a water-mediated hydrogen bond with the formaldehyde substrate and/or dihydroxyacetone product.