Lyase enzymes, nucleic acids encoding them and methods for making and using them

A method for modifying a small molecule comprising the following steps:

• (a) providing an ammonia lyase enzyme, wherein the enzyme comprises a polypeptide having at least 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99%, or more, or 100% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO:32, or a polypeptide encoded by a nucleic acid comprising a nucleic acid having at least 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99%, or more or complete sequence identity to SEQ ID NO:31;
• (b) providing a substrate of small molecules comprising at least phenylalanine, tyrosine and/or histidine;
• and
• (c) reacting the enzyme of step (a) with the small molecule of step (b) under conditions that facilitate an enzymatic reaction catalyzed by the ammonia lyase enzyme, thereby modifying the small molecule by an ammonia lyase enzymatic reaction;
• wherein optionally step (b) comprises providing a plurality of small molecule substrates for the enzyme of step (a), thereby generating a library of modified small molecules produced by at least one enzymatic reaction catalyzed by the ammonia lyase enzyme;
• and optionally the method further comprises providing a plurality of additional enzymes under conditions that facilitate a plurality of biocatalytic reactions by the enzymes to form a library of modified small molecules produced by the plurality of enzymatic reactions;
• and optionally the method further comprises the step of testing the library to determine if a particular modified small molecule which exhibits a desired activity is present within the library, wherein optionally the step of testing the library further comprises the steps of systematically eliminating all but one of the biocatalytic reactions used to produce a portion of the plurality of the modified small molecules within the library by testing the portion of the modified small molecule for the presence or absence of the particular modified small molecule with a desired activity, and identifying at least one specific biocatalytic reaction that produces the particular modified small molecule of desired activity.