Our research interest focuses around the application of halohydrin dehalogenases (HHDH) for organic synthesis. In particular, we are interested in biocatalytic epoxide ring-opening reactions using HHDH, Scheme. From the viewpoint of organic chemists, HHDHs are valuable catalysts that can be used for the enantioselective and regioselective syntheses of a wide range of 1,2-difunctionalised chiral compounds.

Current projects on HHDHs involve:

• Synthesis of optically pure fluorine containing building blocks
• Chemoenzymatic synthesis
• Biotransformation with engineered HHDH
• Application of HHDH in organic media

 Methods we are using:

• Expression of enzymes
• Organic synthesis
• Chiral analysis (GC/HPLC)
• Process development
• Molecular modelling

Selected publications:

Irena Dokli, Nevena Milčić, Petra Marin, Marina Svetec Miklenić, Martina Sudar, LixiaTang, Zvjezdana Findrik Blažević, Maja Majerić Elenkov, Halohydrin dehalogenase-catalysed synthesis of fluorinated aromatic chiral building blocks, Catal. Commun. 2021, 152, 106285.

Zvjezdana Findrik Blažević, Nevena Milčić, Martina Sudar, Maja Majerić Elenkov, Halohydrin Dehalogenases and Their Potential in Industrial Application – A Viewpoint of Enzyme Reaction Engineering, Adv. Synth. Catal. 363 2021, 363, 388-410.

Majerić Elenkov, M.; Čičak, M.; Knežević, A.; Smolko, A. , Halohydrin dehalogenase-catalysed transformations of epifluorohydrin, Tetrahedron Lett., 2018, 59, 406-408.

Mikleušević, A.; Primožić, I.; Hrenar, T.;  Salopek-Sondi, B.; Tang, L.; Majerić Elenkov, M., Azidolysis of epoxides catalysed by the halohydrin dehalogenase from Arthrobacter sp. AD2 and a mutant with enhanced enantioselectivity: an (S)-selective HHDH, Tetrahedron: Asymmetry 2016, 27, 930-935.

Mikleušević, A.; Hameršak, Z.; Salopek-Sondi, B.; Tang, L.; Janssen, D. B.; Majerić Elenkov, M., Oxazolidinone Synthesis through Halohydrin Dehalogenase-Catalyzed Dynamic Kinetic Resolution, Adv. Synth. Catal. 2015, 357, 1709-1714.

Majerić Elenkov, M.; Primožič, I.; Hrenar, T.; Smolko, A.; Dokli, I.; Salopek-Sondi, B.; Tang, L., Catalytic activity of halohydrin dehalogenases towards spiroepoxides, Org. Biomol. Chem. 2012, 10, 5063-5072.

Book chapter:

Majerić Elenkov, M.; Szymanski, W.; Janssen D. B.; Reactions Catalyzed by Halohydrin Dehalogenases, Science of Synthesis; Biocatalysis in Organic Synthesis 2, Faber, K.; Fessner, W.-D. ; Turner, N. (Eds.), Stuttgart: Georg Thieme Verlag KG, 2014, 507-527.