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Enzymatic catalysis

Iminium catalysis meets Diels–Alderase

In the organocatalytic Diels–Alder (DA) reactions, a simple amine is used as a catalyst to form an iminium adduct as an electron-withdrawing group that speeds up reaction with the diene. Now iminium catalysis is identified in Diels–Alderase (DAase) reactions, enabling to substantially broaden the DAase platform.

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Fig. 1: Iminium-catalysed Diels–Alder (DA) reaction by SdnG.
The alternative text for this image may have been generated using AI.

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Correspondence to Shingo Nagano.

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Kato, N., Nagano, S. Iminium catalysis meets Diels–Alderase. Nat Catal 8, 202–203 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41929-025-01312-x

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