SPASM and Twitch Domains in S-Adenosylmethionine (SAM) Radical Enzymes

S-Adenosylmethionine (SAM, also known as AdoMet) radical enzymes use SAM and a [4Fe-4S] cluster to catalyze a diverse array of reactions. They adopt a partial triose-phosphate isomerase (TIM) barrel fold with N- and C-terminal extensions that tailor the structure of the enzyme to its specific function. One extension, termed a SPASM domain, binds two auxiliary [4Fe-4S] clusters and is present within peptide-modifying enzymes. The first structure of a SPASM-containing enzyme, anaerobic sulfatase-maturating enzyme (anSME), revealed unexpected similarities to two non-SPASM proteins, butirosin biosynthetic enzyme 2-deoxy-scyllo-inosamine dehydrogenase (BtrN) and molybdenum cofactor biosynthetic enzyme (MoaA). The latter two enzymes bind one auxiliary cluster and exhibit a partial SPASM motif, coined a Twitch domain. Here we review the structure and function of auxiliary cluster domains within the SAM radical enzyme superfamily.Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Office of the Dean for Graduate Education (Fellowship)National Science Foundation (U.S.) (Grant MCB-0543833

Biochemical and Structural Characterization of a Schiff Base in the Radical-Mediated Biosynthesis of 4-Demethylwyosine by TYW1

TYW1 is a radical S-adenosyl-l-methionine (SAM) enzyme that catalyzes the condensation of pyruvate and N-methylguanosine to form the posttranscriptional modification, 4-demethylwyosine, in situ on transfer RNA (tRNA). Two mechanisms have been proposed for this transformation, with one of the possible mechanisms invoking a Schiff base intermediate formed between a conserved lysine residue and pyruvate. Utilizing a combination of mass spectrometry and X-ray crystallography, we have obtained evidence to support the formation of a Schiff base lysine adduct in TYW1. When 13 C labeled pyruvate is used, the mass shift of the adduct matches that of the labeled pyruvate, indicating that pyruvate is the source of the adduct. Furthermore, a crystal structure of TYW1 provides visualization of the Schiff base lysine-pyruvate adduct, which is positioned directly adjacent to the auxiliary [4Fe-4S] cluster. The adduct coordinates the unique iron of the auxiliary cluster through the lysine nitrogen and a carboxylate oxygen, reminiscent of how the radical SAM [4Fe-4S] cluster is coordinated by SAM. The structure provides insight into the binding site for tRNA and further suggests how radical SAM chemistry can be combined with Schiff base chemistry for RNA modification.National Science Foundation (U.S.) (Grant 1122374

7-Carboxy-7-deazaguanine Synthase: A Radical

Radical S-adenosyl-L-methionine (SAM) enzymes are widely distributed and catalyze diverse reactions. SAM binds to the unique iron atom of a site-differentiated [4Fe-4S] cluster and is reductively cleaved to generate a 5'-deoxyadenosyl radical, which initiates turnover. 7-Carboxy-7-deazaguanine (CDG) synthase (QueE) catalyzes a key step in the biosynthesis of 7-deazapurine containing natural products. 6-Carboxypterin (6-CP), an oxidized analogue of the natural substrate 6-carboxy-5,6,7,8-tetrahydropterin (CPH4), is shown to be an alternate substrate for CDG synthase. Under reducing conditions that would promote the reductive cleavage of SAM, 6-CP is turned over to 6-deoxyadenosylpterin (6-dAP), presumably by radical addition of the 5'-deoxyadenosine followed by oxidative decarboxylation to the product. By contrast, in the absence of the strong reductant, dithionite, the carboxylate of 6-CP is esterified to generate 6-carboxypterin-5'-deoxyadenosyl ester (6-CP-dAdo ester). Structural studies with 6-CP and SAM also reveal electron density consistent with the ester product being formed in crystallo. The differential reactivity of 6-CP under reducing and nonreducing conditions highlights the ability of radical SAM enzymes to carry out both polar and radical transformations in the same active site

Structural studies of S-adenosyl-L-methionine radical enzymes involved in tRNA and natural product biosynthesis

Thesis: Ph. D. in Biological Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Chemistry, 2018.Cataloged from PDF version of thesis. Vita.Includes bibliographical references.Members of the S-adenosyl-L-methionine (AdoMet) radical enzyme superfamily catalyze a myriad of diverse and challenging biotransformations using a [4Fe-4S] cluster and a molecule of AdoMet to initiate radical. In this thesis, we used a combination of crystallographic and biochemical methods to identify the use of covalent catalysis and polar reactions in two AdoMet radical enzymes that catalyze the key steps in the biosynthesis of the tRNA modified bases wybutosine and queuosine. TYWI catalyzes the formation of the characteristic imidazopurine ring of wybutosine through a disputed mechanism. Here, we have garnered support for one of the proposed mechanisms, through the identification and characterization of a Schiff base between a catalytically essential lysine residue and the substrate pyruvate. The ability of TYWI to form and possibly use a Schiff base presents the first instance of a covalent catalysis in the mechanism of an AdoMet radical enzyme. In an attempt to obtain a snapshot of the active site of the queuosine biosynthetic enzyme, QueE, with AdoMet and a substrate analog, 6-carboxypterin (6-CP), we uncovered a covalent adduct between AdoMet and 6-CP. Further investigation of the mechanism by which this adduct was formed revealed a polar mechanism instead of a radical one. This result highlights the ability for AdoMet radical enzymes to use the same active site for two different reactions, polar and/or radical reactions. The unifying characteristics of this superfamily include the canonical CX₃CX[phi]C cluster-binding motif and a partial ([beta]/[alpha]X) 6 triose isomerase phosphate (TIM) barrel. Work in this thesis presents the structural characterization of a third QueE ortholog from Escherichia coli. Together, these three QueE orthologs revealed different variations in the core barrel architecture, which may influence binding of the biological reductant Flavodoxin. This variance in the core AdoMet radical fold emphasizes the structural diversity of this superfamily. On the other hand, we see conservation of an overall three-domain architecture for the maturation of ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified natural products, underlining the importance of this architecture for catalysis.by Tsehai A.J. Grell.Ph. D. in Biological Chemistr

Structural and spectroscopic analyses of the sporulation killing factor biosynthetic enzyme SkfB, a bacterial AdoMet radical sactisynthase

Sactipeptides are a subclass of ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptides (RiPPs). They contain a unique thioether bond, referred to as a sactionine linkage, between the sulfur atom of a cysteine residue and the α-carbon of an acceptor residue. These linkages are formed via radical chemistry and are essential for the spermicidal, antifungal, and antibacterial properties of sactipeptides. Enzymes that form these linkages, called sactisynthases, are AdoMet radical enzymes in the SPASM/Twitch subgroup whose structures are incompletely characterized. Here, we present the X-ray crystal structure to 1.29-Å resolution and Mössbauer analysis of SkfB, a sactisynthase from Bacillus subtilis involved in making sporulation killing factor (SKF). We found that SkfB is a modular enzyme with an N-terminal peptide-binding domain comprising a RiPP recognition element (RRE), a middle domain that forms a classic AdoMet radical partial (β/α)6 barrel structure and displays AdoMet bound to the [4Fe-4S] cluster, and a C-terminal region characteristic of the so-called Twitch domain housing an auxiliary iron-sulfur cluster. Notably, both crystallography and Mössbauer analyses suggest that SkfB can bind a [2Fe-2S] cluster at the auxiliary cluster site, which has been observed only once before in a SPASM/Twitch auxiliary cluster site in the structure of another AdoMet radical enzyme, the pyrroloquinoline quinone biosynthesis enzyme PqqE. Taken together, our findings indicate that SkfB from B. subtilis represents a unique enzyme containing several structural features observed in other AdoMet radical enzymes.National Science Foundation (U.S.). Graduate Research Fellowship (Grant 1122374)National Institute of General Medical Sciences (U.S.) (Grant R35 GM126982