Imine Reductases(IREDs): Structure, Function and Mechanism

Current abiotic synthetic methods of obtaining chiral amines often involve conditions that are not considered environmentally friendly. One of the biggest concerns for chemists is the diminishing supply of precious metals that are often essential for organometallic catalysts in the production of chiral compounds including chiral amines. Imine reductases (IREDs) and reductive aminases (RedAms) are biocatalysts that have the potential for replacing these organometallic catalysts as IREDs are capable of reducing preformed imines to afford chiral amines and RedAms are capable of performing reductive aminations. Both IREDs and RedAms have a wide substrate spectrum and are often highly enantioselective. RedAms are even more remarkable in that they can catalyse reductive aminations utilising a carbonyl-to-amine substrate ratio of 1:1.