Deoxyribose-phosphate aldolase (DERA), Thermus thermophilus (DERA)

Deoxyribose-phosphate aldolase (DERA) from the thermophilic bacterium Thermus thermophilus is a Class I aldolase enzyme that catalyzes the reversible aldol condensation of acetaldehyde and D-glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate to form D-2-deoxyribose 5-phosphate [UniProt: Q56220]. In its native biological context, DERA is involved in the catabolism of deoxyribonucleosides, enabling the organism to utilize DNA-derived pentoses as a carbon and energy source [PubMed: 15103634]. This specific enzyme is not a therapeutic target for the treatment of human disease, as Thermus thermophilus is a non-pathogenic extremophile. Instead, it is widely recognized as a powerful biocatalytic tool in green chemistry for the stereoselective synthesis of chiral pharmaceutical intermediates [PubMed: 25853954]. Most notably, it is used in the industrial production of the statin class of cholesterol-lowering drugs, such as atorvastatin and rosuvastatin, where it facilitates the construction of the essential stereospecific hexanoic acid side chain [PubMed: 12633500]. Its extreme stability under industrial conditions makes it a preferred scaffold for protein engineering to improve substrate tolerance and catalytic efficiency in large-scale manufacturing [PubMed: 21611683].

Other names

2-deoxy-D-ribose-5-phosphate aldolasePhosphodeoxyriboaldolaseDeoxyriboaldolaseDERA_THET8

Not applicable as this enzyme is a biocatalytic tool and not a therapeutic target.