Cis‐Dihydroxylation of Tricyclic Arenes and Heteroarenes Catalyzed by Toluene Dioxygenase: A Molecular Docking Study and Experimental Validation

Molecular docking studies of toluene dioxygenase led to the prediction that angular and lateral cis‐dihydroxylation of tricyclic arene and heteroarene substrates could occur. Biotransformations of biphenylene, dibenzofuran, carbazole and dibenzothiophene, using Pseudomonas putida UV4 whole cells, expressing toluene dioxygenase, confirmed that both angular and lateral cis‐dihydroxylation had occurred in the predicted regioselective and stereoselective manner. The toluene dioxygenase‐catalysed (Pseudomonas putida UV4) biotransformation of dibenzofuran was optimized, to produce 1,2‐dihydrodibenzofuran‐1,2‐diol as the major metabolite in excellent yield. 2‐Hydroxydibenzofuran, resulting from dehydration of 1,2‐dihydrodibenzofuran‐1,2‐diol, was also found to undergo cis‐ dihydroxylation to give a very minor cis‐dihydrodiol metabolite. The enantiopurity (>98% ee) and (1R,2S) absolute configuration of the major dibenzofuran cis ‐dihydrodiol was rigorously established by catalytic hydrogenation and formation of methoxy(trifluoromethyl)phenylacetate derivatives and by X‐ray crystallography of an epoxide derivative. Biotransformation of carbazole yielded anthranilic acid as the major metabolite and was consistent with angular cis‐dihydroxylation. Synthesis of a cis‐ diol epoxide derivative showed that the main cis‐dihydrodiol metabolite of dibenzofuran has potential in the chemoenzymatic synthesis of natural products. magnified image