Radical SAM catalysis via an organometallic intermediate with an Fe–[5′-C]-deoxyadenosyl bond

Abstract

Catching a radical in action Many enzymes catalyze reactions through the production of radical intermediates. Radical SAM enzymes, the largest superfamily of enzymes in nature, do this by using an iron-sulfur cluster to cleave S-adenosylmethionine and produce a radical intermediate. Using freeze quenching, Horitani et al. were able to trap a previously unseen radical intermediate from bacterial pyruvate formate-lyase activating enzyme. Spectroscopy revealed that the intermediate consists of a short-lived covalent bond between the terminal carbon of 5′-deoxyadenosyl and the single iron atom of the iron-sulfur cluster. Not only does the observation of this radical expand our mechanistic understanding of radical SAM enzymes, but it expands the range of enzyme active sites or cofactors that function through an organometallic center. Science , this issue p. 822