Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39392720›Full record

ArticleJournal of the American Chemical Society2024

Discovery of a New Class of Aminoacyl Radical Enzymes Expands Nature's Known Radical Chemistry.

Beverly Fu, Hao Yang, Duncan J Kountz, Maike N Lundahl, Harry R Beller, William E Broderick, Joan B Broderick, Brian H Hoffman, Emily P Balskus

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of the American Chemical Society, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

7 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. The radical SAM enzyme EpeE exhibits distinct site reactivity during the biosynthesis of the RiPP natural product epipeptide.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2026
    Article
  5. Article
  6. Article
  7. Structural basis for anaerobic alkane activation by a multisubunit glycyl radical enzyme.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2025
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Beverly FuDepartment of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, United States.ORCID 0000-0002-2345-6911
Hao YangDepartment of Chemistry, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States.ORCID 0000-0001-7229-0957
Duncan J KountzDepartment of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, United States.
Maike N LundahlDepartment of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana 59717, United States.ORCID 0000-0002-4391-7279
Harry R BellerLawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, United States.ORCID 0000-0001-9637-3650
William E BroderickDepartment of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana 59717, United States.ORCID 0000-0001-5782-7322
Joan B BroderickDepartment of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana 59717, United States.
Brian H HoffmanDepartment of Chemistry, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States.ORCID 0000-0002-3100-0746
Emily P BalskusDepartment of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, United States.ORCID 0000-0001-5985-5714

Funding

Coboglobins-Cobalt-Substituted Hemoglobins and MyoglobinR01GM111097 · NIGMS · NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY · PI HOFFMAN, BRIAN M · 2014 to 2025
$6.7M
Principles of Scientific Citizenship: Ethics, Communication, and Leadership for ScientistsT32GM095450 · NIGMS · HARVARD UNIVERSITY · PI WALKER, SUZANNE · 2011 to 2020
$3.5M
Radical SAM Enzymes: Radical Mechanisms Central to BiologyR35GM131889 · NIGMS · MONTANA STATE UNIVERSITY - BOZEMAN · PI Joan B Broderick · 2019 to 2026
$3.0M
Probing the Unified Radical Generation Steps in Radical SAM Enzyme ChemistryF32GM140713 · NIGMS · MONTANA STATE UNIVERSITY - BOZEMAN · PI LUNDAHL, MAIKE NICOLE · 2021 to 2023
$149k
NIGMS NIH HHS F32 GM140713NIGMS NIH HHS R01 GM111097NIGMS NIH HHS R35 GM131889NIGMS NIH HHS T32 GM095450
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Radical enzymes, including the evolutionarily ancient glycyl radical enzyme (GRE) family, catalyze chemically challenging reactions that are involved in a myriad of important biological processes. All GREs possess an essential, conserved backbone glycine that forms a stable, catalytically essential α-carbon radical. Through close examination of the GRE family, we unexpectedly identified hundreds of noncanonical GRE homologs that encode either an alanine, serine, or threonine in place of the catalytic glycine residue. Contrary to a long-standing belief, we experimentally demonstrate that these aminoacyl radical enzymes (AAREs) form stable α-carbon radicals on the three cognate residues when activated by partner activating enzymes. The previously unrecognized AAREs are widespread in microbial genomes, highlighting their biological importance and potential for exhibiting new reactivity. Collectively, these studies expand the known radical chemistry of living systems while raising questions about the evolutionary emergence of the AAREs.

Indexed as

GlycineFree RadicalsFree RadicalsGlycine

Identifiers

PMID39392720
PMCPMC11528403

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.