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Nature Chemical Biology 4, 719 - 721 (2008)
doi:10.1038/nchembio1208-719
Cyclization in concert
Marco W Fraaije1 & Andrea Mattevi2
- Marco W. Fraaije is in the Laboratory of Biochemistry, Groningen Biomolecular Sciences & Biotechnology Institute, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 4, 9747 AG Groningen, The Netherlands. e-mail: m.w.fraaije@rug.nl
- Andrea Mattevi is in the Department of Genetics & Microbiology, University of Pavia, Via Ferrata 1, 27100 Pavia, Italy. e-mail: mattevi@ipvgen.unipv.it
Abstract
The berberine bridge enzyme catalyzes the crucial step in the biosynthesis of an important class of alkaloids through a reaction that cannot be carried out using conventional organic chemistry tools. Characterization of the enzyme demonstrates a concerted mechanism that couples two distinct chemical steps—oxidation and proton abstraction—affecting two separate groups of the substrate.
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