Pleurotus ostreatus as a source of enoate reductase

(E)-4-Phenylbut-3-ene-2-one (2a) and its derivatives with different substituents at phenyl ring (2b–e) have been subjected to biotransformation mediated by whole cells of Pleurotus ostreatus. The strain showed enoate reductase activity towards all the substrates tested. Saturated ketones with p-isopropyl-, p-methoxy- and 2,4-dimethoxyphenyl ring (3c–e) were obtained with 100% chemoselectivity. In case of (E)-4-phenylbut-3-ene-2-one (2a) and (E)-4-(benzo[1,3]dioxol-5-yl)but-3-en-2-one (2b) CC bond reduction was slowly followed by CO bond reduction, which afforded corresponding saturated alcohols 4a,b, respectively with low or moderate predominance of (S)-isomers. The presence of enoate reductase in P. ostreatus as well as enantiomerically enriched alcohol 4b has not been reported so far.