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Updated: Feb 20, 2026
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A Customizable Approach for the Enzymatic Production and Purification of Diterpenoid Natural Products
Published on: October 4, 2019
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Radical Breakthroughs in Natural Product and Cofactor Biosynthesis
1Department of Biochemistry, Duke University Medical Center , Durham, North Carolina 27710, United States.
Biochemistry
|October 27, 2017
Summary
Radical S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) enzymes are crucial for creating complex molecules. This perspective highlights their role in biosynthesis and presents new findings on enzymes involved in carbon skeleton formation.
Area of Science:
- Biochemistry
- Enzymology
- Organic Chemistry
Background:
- Radical S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) enzymes represent a vast superfamily with over 113,000 annotated sequences.
- These enzymes utilize a 4Fe-4S cluster to cleave SAM, generating a 5'-deoxyadenosyl radical for diverse biochemical reactions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To discuss the impact of novel radical SAM enzyme functions on understanding biosynthetic pathways.
- To highlight recent examples of radical SAM enzymes involved in carbon skeleton formation for cofactor and natural product biosynthesis.
Main Methods:
- Characterization of novel functions in radical SAM enzymes.
- Analysis of specific enzymes responsible for carbon skeleton formation.
Main Results:
- Radical SAM enzymes catalyze challenging reactions essential for synthesizing unique cofactors and natural products.
- Recent studies reveal specific radical SAM enzymes critical for carbon skeleton formation in biosynthetic pathways.
Conclusions:
- Characterizing radical SAM enzymes expands our knowledge of complex biosynthetic pathways.
- These enzymes are key players in the formation of essential biological molecules.
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