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Updated: Aug 4, 2025
Facile Preparation of 2Z,4E-Dienamides by the Olefination of Electron-deficient Alkenes with Allyl Acetate
Published on: June 21, 2017
Structural basis for enzymatic terminal C-H bond functionalization of alkanes
Jin Chai1, Gongrui Guo1,2, Sean M McSweeney2
1Biology Department, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY, USA.
Abstract:
Alkane monooxygenase (AlkB) is a widely occurring integral membrane metalloenzyme that catalyzes the initial step in the functionalization of recalcitrant alkanes with high terminal selectivity. AlkB enables diverse microorganisms to use alkanes as their sole carbon and energy source. Here we present the 48.6-kDa cryo-electron microscopy structure of a natural fusion from Fontimonas thermophila between AlkB and its electron donor AlkG at 2.76 Å resolution. The AlkB portion contains six transmembrane helices with an alkane entry tunnel within its transmembrane domain. A dodecane substrate is oriented by hydrophobic tunnel-lining residues to present a terminal C-H bond toward a diiron active site. AlkG, an [Fe-4S] rubredoxin, docks via electrostatic interactions and sequentially transfers electrons to the diiron center. The archetypal structural complex presented reveals the basis for terminal C-H selectivity and functionalization within this broadly distributed evolutionary class of enzymes.
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