Since the discovery of the first examples of 2-oxoglutarate-dependent oxygenase-catalysed reactions in the 1960s, a remarkably broad diversity of alternate reactions and substrates has been revealed, and extensive advances have been achieved in our understanding of the structures and catalytic mechanisms. These enzymes are important agrochemical targets and are being pursued as therapeutic targets for a wide range of diseases including cancer and anemia. This book provides a central source of information that summarizes the key features of the essential group of 2-oxoglutarate-dependent dioxygenases and related enzymes. Given the numerous recent advances and biomedical interest in the field, this book aims to unite the latest research for those already working in the field as well as to provide an introduction for those newly approaching the topic, and for those interested in translating the basic science into medicinal and agricultural benefits. The book begins with four broad chapters that highlight critical aspects, including an overview of possible catalytic reactions, structures and mechanisms. The following seventeen chapters focus on carefully selected topics, each written by leading experts in the area. Readers will find explanations of rapidly evolving research, from the chemistry of isopenicillin N synthase to the oxidation mechanism of 5-methylcytosine in DNA by ten-eleven-translocase oxygenases.

Since the discovery of the first examples of 2-oxoglutarate-dependent oxygenase-catalysed reactions in the 1960s, a remarkably broad diversity of alternate reactions and substrates has been revealed, and extensive advances have been achieved in our understanding of the structures and catalytic mechanisms. These enzymes are important agrochemical targets and are being pursued as therapeutic targets for a wide range of diseases including cancer and anemia. This book provides a central source of information that summarizes the key features of the essential group of 2-oxoglutarate-dependent dioxygenases and related enzymes. Given the numerous recent advances and biomedical interest in the field, this book aims to unite the latest research for those already working in the field as well as to provide an introduction for those newly approaching the topic, and for those interested in translating the basic science into medicinal and agricultural benefits. The book begins with four broad chapters that highlight critical aspects, including an overview of possible catalytic reactions, structures and mechanisms. The following seventeen chapters focus on carefully selected topics, each written by leading experts in the area. Readers will find explanations of rapidly evolving research, from the chemistry of isopenicillin N synthase to the oxidation mechanism of 5-methylcytosine in DNA by ten-eleven-translocase oxygenases.

Lasso peptides form a growing family of fascinating ribosomally-synthesized and post-translationally modified peptides produced by bacteria. They contain 15 to 24 residues and share a unique interlocked topology that involves an N-terminal 7 to 9-residue macrolactam ring where the C-terminal tail is threaded and irreversibly trapped. The ring results from the condensation of the N-terminal amino group with a side-chain carboxylate of a glutamate at position 8 or 9, or an aspartate at position 7, 8 or 9. The trapping of the tail involves bulky amino acids located in the tail below and above the ring and/or disulfide bridges connecting the ring and the tail. Lasso peptides are subdivided into three subtypes depending on the absence (class II) or presence of one (class III) or two (class I) disulfide bridges. The lasso topology results in highly compact structures that give to lasso peptides an extraordinary stability towards both protease degradation and denaturing conditions. Lasso peptides are generally receptor antagonists, enzyme inhibitors and/or antibacterial or antiviral (anti-HIV) agents. The lasso scaffold and the associated biological activities shown by lasso peptides on different key targets make them promising molecules with high therapeutic potential. Their application in drug design has been exemplified by the development of an integrin antagonist based on a lasso peptide scaffold. The biosynthesis machinery of lasso peptides is therefore of high biotechnological interest, especially since such highly compact and stable structures have to date revealed inaccessible by peptide synthesis. Lasso peptides are produced from a linear precursor LasA, which undergoes a maturation process involving several steps, in particular cleavage of the leader peptide and cyclization. The post-translational modifications are ensured by a dedicated enzymatic machinery, which is composed of an ATP-dependent cysteine protease (LasB) and a lactam synthetase (LasC) that form an enzymatic complex called lasso synthetase. Microcin J25, produced by Escherichia coli AY25, is the archetype of lasso peptides and the most extensively studied. To date only around forty lasso peptides have been isolated, but genome mining approaches have revealed that they are widely distributed among Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria, particularly in Streptomyces, making available a rich resource of novel lasso peptides and enzyme machineries towards lasso topologies.

The ability of cells to sense and respond to changes in oxygenation underlies a multitude of developmental, physiological, and pathological processes. This volume provides a comprehensive compendium of experimental approaches to the study of oxygen sensing in 48 chapters that are written by leaders in their fields.

Mononuclear iron containing enzymes are important intermediates in bioprocesses and have potential in the industrial biosynthesis of specific products. This book features topical review chapters by leaders in this field and its various sub-disciplines.

Functional genomics is a young discipline whose origin can be traced back to the late 1980s and early 1990s, when molecular tools became available to determine the cellular functions of genes. Today, functional genomics is p- ceived as the analysis, often large-scale, that bridges the structure and organi- tion of genomes and the assessment of gene function. The completion in 2000 of the genome sequence of Arabidopsis thaliana has created a number of new and exciting challenges in plant functional genomics. The immediate task for the plant biology community is to establish the functions of the approximately 25,000 genes present in this model plant. One major issue that will remain even after this formidable task is c- pleted is establishing to what degree our understanding of the genome of one model organism, such as the dicot Arabidopsis, provides insight into the or- nization and function of genes in other plants. The genome sequence of rice, completed in 2002 as a result of the synergistic interaction of the private and public sectors, promises to significantly enrich our knowledge of the general organization of plant genomes. However, the tools available to investigate gene function in rice are lagging behind those offered by other model plant systems. Approaches available to investigate gene function become even more limited for plants other than the model systems of Arabidopsis, rice, and maize.

This textbook describes the types of natural products, the biosynthetic pathways that enable the production of these molecules, and an update on the discovery of novel products in the post-genomic era.

This is the only book of its kind to provide an overview of the science of flavonoids in plants.

The Enzymes, Volume 47, highlights new advances in the field, with this new volume presenting interesting chapters on The Multipurpose Family of Oxidases, Vanillyl alcohol oxidase, Choline oxidases, Aryl alcohol oxidase, D- and L-amino acid oxidases, Sugar oxidases, Phenolic Compounds hydroxylases, Baeyer-Villiger Monooxygenases, Flavin-dependent halogenases, Flavin-dependent dehalogenases, Styrene Monooxygenases, Bacterial luciferases, Cellobiose Dehydrogenases, Prenylated flavoenzymes, Ene-reductases, Flavoenzymes in Biocatalysis. - Provides the authority and expertise of leading contributors from an international board of authors - Presents the latest release in The Enzymes series

Bacteria in various habitats are subject to continuously changing environmental conditions, such as nutrient deprivation, heat and cold stress, UV radiation, oxidative stress, dessication, acid stress, nitrosative stress, cell envelope stress, heavy metal exposure, osmotic stress, and others. In order to survive, they have to respond to these conditions by adapting their physiology through sometimes drastic changes in gene expression. In addition they may adapt by changing their morphology, forming biofilms, fruiting bodies or spores, filaments, Viable But Not Culturable (VBNC) cells or moving away from stress compounds via chemotaxis. Changes in gene expression constitute the main component of the bacterial response to stress and environmental changes, and involve a myriad of different mechanisms, including (alternative) sigma factors, bi- or tri-component regulatory systems, small non-coding RNA’s, chaperones, CHRIS-Cas systems, DNA repair, toxin-antitoxin systems, the stringent response, efflux pumps, alarmones, and modulation of the cell envelope or membranes, to name a few. Many regulatory elements are conserved in different bacteria; however there are endless variations on the theme and novel elements of gene regulation in bacteria inhabiting particular environments are constantly being discovered. Especially in (pathogenic) bacteria colonizing the human body a plethora of bacterial responses to innate stresses such as pH, reactive nitrogen and oxygen species and antibiotic stress are being described. An attempt is made to not only cover model systems but give a broad overview of the stress-responsive regulatory systems in a variety of bacteria, including medically important bacteria, where elucidation of certain aspects of these systems could lead to treatment strategies of the pathogens. Many of the regulatory systems being uncovered are specific, but there is also considerable “cross-talk” between different circuits. Stress and Environmental Regulation of Gene Expression and Adaptation in Bacteria is a comprehensive two-volume work bringing together both review and original research articles on key topics in stress and environmental control of gene expression in bacteria. Volume One contains key overview chapters, as well as content on one/two/three component regulatory systems and stress responses, sigma factors and stress responses, small non-coding RNAs and stress responses, toxin-antitoxin systems and stress responses, stringent response to stress, responses to UV irradiation, SOS and double stranded systems repair systems and stress, adaptation to both oxidative and osmotic stress, and desiccation tolerance and drought stress. Volume Two covers heat shock responses, chaperonins and stress, cold shock responses, adaptation to acid stress, nitrosative stress, and envelope stress, as well as iron homeostasis, metal resistance, quorum sensing, chemotaxis and biofilm formation, and viable but not culturable (VBNC) cells. Covering the full breadth of current stress and environmental control of gene expression studies and expanding it towards future advances in the field, these two volumes are a one-stop reference for (non) medical molecular geneticists interested in gene regulation under stress.