Straightforward Background Depletion Unlocks Transaminase Evolution Through Solid-Phase Screening

Here we report a rapid, reliable, and widely applicable solid-phase screening method for transaminase variants, which was successfully applied to a transaminase from Halomonas elongata (HEWT), evolved through rounds of random mutagenesis towards a series of diverse prochiral ketones. Key element of this work is the effective and long lasting background depletion which enhances discrimination and minimised false positive hits.