Organometallic Complex Formed by an Unconventional Radical S-Adenosylmethionine Enzyme

J Am Chem Soc. 2016 Aug 10;138(31):9755-8. doi: 10.1021/jacs.6b04155. Epub 2016 Aug 2.

Abstract

Pyrococcus horikoshii Dph2 (PhDph2) is an unusual radical S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) enzyme involved in the first step of diphthamide biosynthesis. It catalyzes the reaction by cleaving SAM to generate a 3-amino-3-carboxypropyl (ACP) radical. To probe the reaction mechanism, we synthesized a SAM analogue (SAMCA), in which the ACP group of SAM is replaced with a 3-carboxyallyl group. SAMCA is cleaved by PhDph2, yielding a paramagnetic (S = 1/2) species, which is assigned to a complex formed between the reaction product, α-sulfinyl-3-butenoic acid, and the [4Fe-4S] cluster. Electron-nuclear double resonance (ENDOR) measurements with (13)C and (2)H isotopically labeled SAMCA support a π-complex between the C═C double bond of α-sulfinyl-3-butenoic acid and the unique iron of the [4Fe-4S] cluster. This is the first example of a radical SAM-related [4Fe-4S](+) cluster forming an organometallic complex with an alkene, shedding additional light on the mechanism of PhDph2 and expanding our current notions for the reactivity of [4Fe-4S] clusters in radical SAM enzymes.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Alkenes / chemistry
  • Anisotropy
  • Butyrates / chemistry
  • Carbon / chemistry
  • Catalysis
  • Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid
  • Electron Spin Resonance Spectroscopy
  • Electrons
  • Enzymes / chemistry*
  • Histidine / analogs & derivatives
  • Histidine / chemistry
  • Iron / chemistry
  • Iron-Sulfur Proteins / chemistry*
  • Organometallic Compounds / chemistry*
  • Pyrococcus horikoshii / enzymology*
  • S-Adenosylmethionine / chemistry*

Substances

  • Alkenes
  • Butyrates
  • Enzymes
  • Iron-Sulfur Proteins
  • Organometallic Compounds
  • Histidine
  • 3-butenoic acid
  • Carbon
  • diphthamide
  • S-Adenosylmethionine
  • Iron