Asymmetric Biocatalytic Synthesis of 1‐Aryltetrahydro‐β‐carbolines Enabled by “Substrate Walking”

Stereoselective catalysts for the Pictet–Spengler reaction of tryptamines and aldehydes may allow a simple and fast approach to chiral 1‐substituted tetrahydro‐β‐carbolines. Although biocatalysts have previously been employed for the Pictet–Spengler reaction, not a single one accepts benzaldehyde and its substituted derivatives. To address this challenge, a combination of substrate walking and transfer of beneficial mutations between different wild‐type backbones was used to develop a strictosidine synthase from Rauvolfia serpentina (RsSTR) into a suitable enzyme for the asymmetric Pictet–Spengler condensation of tryptamine and benzaldehyde derivatives. The double variant RsSTR V176L/V208A accepted various ortho‐, meta‐ and para‐substituted benzaldehydes and produced the corresponding chiral 1‐aryl‐tetrahydro‐β‐carbolines with up to 99 % enantiomeric excess.