Ketoreductases (EC 1.1.1.2)  catalyses the conversion of a wide range of ketones and even aldehydes to alcohols regio- and stereo-selectively in the presence of cofactors, mostly NADH or NADPH, in water under temperature (see Reaction Scheme and Examples). In some cases, these enzymes are also able to catalyze the reversible oxidation of alcohols to corresponding ketones or aldehydes. The cofactors can be regenerated by several methods such as using a formate dehydrogenase or glucose dehydrogenase, and a number of industrial processes have been developed (see References).

Reaction Scheme and Examples:

Selected References:

1. Nie, Y.; Xu, Y.; Mu, X.-Q.; Wang, H.-Y.; Yang, M.; Xiao, R.  “Purification, characterization, gene  cloning , and expression of a novel  alcohol   dehydrogenase  with anti-prelog stereospecificity from  Candida  parapsilosis”,  Applied and Environmental Microbiology,  2007,  73,  3759-3764.

2. Goldberg, K.; Schroer, K.; Luetz, S.; Liese, A. “Biocatalytic ketone reduction-a powerful tool for the production of chiral alcohols-part I: processes with isolated enzymes”, Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology, 2007, 76, 237-248.

2. Zhao, H.; van der Donk, W. A. “Regeneration of cofactors for use in biocatalysis”, Current Opinion in Biotechnology, 2003, 14, 583-589.