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Enzymology

Radical break-up, blissful make-up

Nature Chemical Biology volume 7, pages 133–134 (2011)Cite this article

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The radical SAM superfamily of enzymes provides, yet again, fertile ground for the discovery of amazing new biochemical transformations. Strong evidence is now presented for an unprecedented radical fragmentation-recombination of L-tryptophan to a derivative that is incorporated into the complex antibiotic nosiheptide, highlighting the versatility of radical mechanisms for complex biochemical reactions.

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Figure 1: Scheme showing the NosL-catalyzed transformation of L-tryptophan to MIA and its incorporation into nosiheptide.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Arthur J. Arcinas is in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology,

    Arthur J Arcinas

  2. Squire J. Booker is in the Departments of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and of Chemistry at Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA.,

    Squire J Booker

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  1. Arthur J Arcinas
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  2. Squire J Booker
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Correspondence to Squire J Booker.

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The authors declare no competing financial interests.

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Arcinas, A., Booker, S. Radical break-up, blissful make-up. Nat Chem Biol 7, 133–134 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1038/nchembio.528

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