Class C Radical SAM Methyltransferases Involved in Anaerobic Heme Degradation

Liju G Mathew; Marley Brimberry; William N Lanzilotta

doi:10.1021/acsbiomedchemau.1c00047

Class C Radical SAM Methyltransferases Involved in Anaerobic Heme Degradation

ACS Bio Med Chem Au. 2021 Dec 27;2(2):120-124. doi: 10.1021/acsbiomedchemau.1c00047. eCollection 2022 Apr 20.

Authors

Liju G Mathew¹, Marley Brimberry¹, William N Lanzilotta¹

Affiliation

¹ Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30602, United States.

Abstract

Class C radical SAM methyltransferases catalyze a diverse array of difficult chemical transformations in the biosynthesis of a range of compounds of biomedical importance. Phylogenetic analysis suggests that all of these enzymes are related to "CpdH" (formerly "HemN") and "HemW", proteins with essential roles in anaerobic heme biosynthesis and heme transport, respectively. These functions are essential to anaerobic metabolism in Escherichia coli. Interestingly, evolution has come full circle, and the divergence of this protein sequence/fold has resulted in the class C radical SAM methyltransferases. Several pathogenic organisms have further adapted this fold to catalyze the anaerobic degradation of heme. In this review, we summarize what is known about the mechanism of anaerobic heme degradation and the evolutionary implications.

Publication types

Review