Funding Organization(s): National Key Research and Development Program, National Natural Science Foundation of China, French National Research Agency
Primary Citation of Related Structures:   6FD2
PubMed Abstract: 
Regiospecific dehydration of vicinal diols by enzymes is a difficult reaction that usually requires activation by dedicated organic cofactors. The enzymatic use of radical-based chemistry is an effective but challenging alternative as radical intermediates are difficult to control ...
Regiospecific dehydration of vicinal diols by enzymes is a difficult reaction that usually requires activation by dedicated organic cofactors. The enzymatic use of radical-based chemistry is an effective but challenging alternative as radical intermediates are difficult to control. Here we report the X-ray structure of the radical S-adenosyl-l-methionine (SAM) dehydratase AprD4 involved in the biosynthesis of the aminoglycoside (AG) antibiotic apramycin. Using in vitro characterizations and theoretical calculations based on our crystal structure, we have been able to propose a detailed mechanism of AprD4 catalysis, which involves a complex partially substrate-induced proton relay network in the enzyme active site and highlights the key role of the protein matrix in driving high-energy intermediates.
Organizational Affiliation: 
Department of Chemistry, Fudan University , Shanghai 200433, China.