Radical SAM Enzymes in Cofactor Biosynthesis: a treasure trove of complex organic radical rearrangement reactions [Enzymology]
December 4th, 2014 by Mehta, A. P., Abdelwahed, S., Mahanta, N., Fedoseyenko, D., Philmus, B., Cooper, L., Liu, Y., Jhulki, I., Ealick, S. E., Begley, T. P.
In this review, we will describe the radical SAM enzymes involved in the biosynthesis of thiamin, menaquinone, molybdopterin, coenzyme F420 and heme. Our focus will be on the remarkably complex organic rearrangements involved, many of which have no precedent in organic or biological chemistry.