Imine Reductases: Multifunctional Biocatalysts with Varying Active Sites and Catalytic Mechanisms

Abstract The synthesis of chiral amines is significant in the pharmaceutical industry. Imine reductase (IRED), a promising biocatalyst that was previously known to only catalyze asymmetric imine reduction (IR), was revealed to achieve direct asymmetric reductive amination (RA) of ketones with excess amines, producing secondary and tertiary amines. Moreover, conjugate reduction (CR) and RA activity by a single IRED has been reported for the preparation of valuable amine diastereomers. IREDs catalyzing these different reactions share the same standard quaternary structure, but possess varying active sites, indicating correlations and differences between their catalytic mechanisms. In this review, we trace the catalytic mechanisms reported for IRED‐catalyzed IR, RA, and CR‐RA. Insights obtained from structural and protein engineering in understanding the IRED‐catalyzed asymmetric synthesis are also included. This review will help readers acquire comprehensive insights into the catalytic mechanism of IREDs and ultimately inspire the engineering of IREDs for industrial applications.