Guidelines for Determining the Structures of Radical SAM Enzyme-Catalyzed Modifications in the Biosynthesis of RiPP Natural Products

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapter

12 Scopus citations

Abstract

Radical S-adenosylmethionine (RaS) enzymes catalyze some of the most fascinating transformations in Nature. With only ~ 100 of the > 300,000 members studied to date, it is safe to assume that a plethora of new reactions and reaction mechanisms remain to be elucidated. It is by now relatively easy to spot RaS enzymes in microbial genomes. However, to determine the reactions that they carry out, detailed structural characterization of the product(s) is necessary, a process that still represents a significant roadblock in the study of RaS enzymes. We have recently combined natural products structural elucidation along with RaS enzymology to provide a proof of concept for how the confluence of these approaches can lead to the discovery of new natural products and RaS enzyme-mediated transformations. Herein, we provide guidelines for expressing, purifying, and reconstituting a subclass of RaS enzymes that contain a so-called SPASM domain, as well as characterizing the reactions that they catalyze using a combination of HR/MSn and NMR investigations. Application of these approaches will aid in expanding the chemical and biosynthetic repertoire of RaS enzymes in the future.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publicationMethods in Enzymology
EditorsVahe Bandarian
PublisherAcademic Press Inc.
Pages439-460
Number of pages22
ISBN (Print)9780128127940
DOIs
StatePublished - 2018

Publication series

NameMethods in Enzymology
Volume606
ISSN (Print)0076-6879
ISSN (Electronic)1557-7988

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Molecular Biology
  • Biochemistry

Keywords

  • Biosynthesis
  • Natural product
  • Radical SAM enzyme
  • RiPPs
  • Streptide

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Guidelines for Determining the Structures of Radical SAM Enzyme-Catalyzed Modifications in the Biosynthesis of RiPP Natural Products'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this