Publications

• Purification and characterization of the epoxidase catalyzing the formation of fosfomycin from Pseudomonas syringae.

  Munos J.W., Moon S.J., Mansoorabadi S.O., Chang W., Hong L., Yan F., Liu A., Liu H.W.

  The final step in the biosynthesis of fosfomycin in Streptomyces wedmorensis is catalyzed by ( S)-2-hydroxypropylphosphonic acid (HPP) epoxidase ( Sw-HppE). A homologous enzyme from Pseudomonas syringae whose encoding gene ( orf3) shares a relatively low degree of sequence homology with the corres ... >> More

  The final step in the biosynthesis of fosfomycin in Streptomyces wedmorensis is catalyzed by ( S)-2-hydroxypropylphosphonic acid (HPP) epoxidase ( Sw-HppE). A homologous enzyme from Pseudomonas syringae whose encoding gene ( orf3) shares a relatively low degree of sequence homology with the corresponding Sw-HppE gene has recently been isolated. This purified P. syringae protein was determined to catalyze the epoxidation of ( S)-HPP to fosfomycin and the oxidation of ( R)-HPP to 2-oxopropylphosphonic acid under the same conditions as Sw-HppE. Therefore, this protein is indeed a true HPP epoxidase and is termed Ps-HppE. Like Sw-HppE, Ps-HppE was determined to be post-translationally modified by the hydroxylation of a putative active site tyrosine (Tyr95). Analysis of the Fe(II) center by EPR spectroscopy using NO as a spin probe and molecular oxygen surrogate reveals that Ps-HppE's metal center is similar, but not identical, to that of Sw-HppE. The identity of the rate-determining step for the ( S)-HPP and ( R)-HPP reactions was determined by measuring primary deuterium kinetic effects, and the outcome of these results was correlated with density functional theory calculations. Interestingly, the reaction using the nonphysiological substrate ( R)-HPP was 1.9 times faster than that with ( S)-HPP for both Ps-HppE and Sw-HppE. This is likely due to the difference in bond dissociation energy of the abstracted hydrogen atom for each respective reaction. Thus, despite the low level of amino acid sequence identity, Ps-HppE is a close mimic of Sw-HppE, representing a second example of a non-heme iron-dependent enzyme capable of catalyzing dehydrogenation of a secondary alcohol to form a new C-O bond. << Less

  Biochemistry 47:8726-8735(2008) [PubMed] [EuropePMC]

• Structural insight into antibiotic fosfomycin biosynthesis by a mononuclear iron enzyme.

  Higgins L.J., Yan F., Liu P., Liu H.W., Drennan C.L.

  The biosynthetic pathway of the clinically important antibiotic fosfomycin uses enzymes that catalyse reactions without precedent in biology. Among these is hydroxypropylphosphonic acid epoxidase, which represents a new subfamily of non-haem mononuclear iron enzymes. Here we present six X-ray stru ... >> More

  The biosynthetic pathway of the clinically important antibiotic fosfomycin uses enzymes that catalyse reactions without precedent in biology. Among these is hydroxypropylphosphonic acid epoxidase, which represents a new subfamily of non-haem mononuclear iron enzymes. Here we present six X-ray structures of this enzyme: the apoenzyme at 2.0 A resolution; a native Fe(II)-bound form at 2.4 A resolution; a tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane-Co(II)-enzyme complex structure at 1.8 A resolution; a substrate-Co(II)-enzyme complex structure at 2.5 A resolution; and two substrate-Fe(II)-enzyme complexes at 2.1 and 2.3 A resolution. These structural data lead us to suggest how this enzyme is able to recognize and respond to its substrate with a conformational change that protects the radical-based intermediates formed during catalysis. Comparisons with other family members suggest why substrate binding is able to prime iron for dioxygen binding in the absence of alpha-ketoglutarate (a co-substrate required by many mononuclear iron enzymes), and how the unique epoxidation reaction of hydroxypropylphosphonic acid epoxidase may occur. << Less

  Nature 437:838-844(2005) [PubMed] [EuropePMC]