Baeyer-Villiger monooxygenases: recent advances and future challenges.

Baeyer-Villiger monooxygenases For many enzyme classes, a wealth of information on, for example, structure and mechanism has been generated in the last few decades. While the first Baeyer-Villiger monooxygenases (BVMOs) were already isolated more than 30 years ago, detailed data on these enzymes were lacking until recently. Over the last years several major scientific breakthroughs, including the elucidation of BVMO crystal structures and the identification of numerous novel BVMOs, have boosted the research on BVMOs. This has led to intensified biocatalytic explorations of novel BVMOs and structure-inspired enzyme redesign. This review provides an overview on the recently gained knowledge on BVMOs and sketches the outlook for future industrial applications of these unique oxidative biocatalysts. Copyright 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.