One biocatalyst - Many applications: The use of Candida antarctica B-lipase in organic synthesis

The application of the B-component lipase from the yeast Candida antarctica in organic synthesis is reviewed. This enzyme has been found to be a particularly efficient and robust lipase catalyzing a surprising diversity of reactions including many different regio- and enantio-selective syntheses. Furthermore, the C. antarctica B-lipase is an example of an enzyme for which its specificity has been predicted based on the crystal structure and modeling of the active site region. This prediction is compared to experimental observations and a very close correlation is found.