Anaerobic Origin of Ergothioneine. (1st September 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Burn, Reto; Misson, Laëtitia; Meury, Marcel; Seebeck, Florian P.
• Is Part Of: Angewandte Chemie. Volume 129:Number 41(2017)
• Page Start: 12682
• Page End: 12685
• Publication Date: 2017-09-01
• Subjects: Antioxidantien -- Enzymkatalyse -- Ergothionein -- Kohlenstoff-Schwefel-Bindungen -- Schwefel-Transferasen; Chemistry -- Periodicals; 540
• DOI: 10.1002/ange.201705932
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0044-8249

Abstract

Abstract: Ergothioneine is a sulfur metabolite that occurs in microorganisms, fungi, plants, and animals. The physiological function of ergothioneine is not clear. In recent years broad scientific consensus has formed around the idea that cellular ergothioneine primarily protects against reactive oxygen species. Herein we provide evidence that this focus on oxygen chemistry may be too narrow. We describe two enzymes from the strictly anaerobic green sulfur bacterium Chlorobium limicola that mediate oxygen‐independent biosynthesis of ergothioneine. This anoxic origin suggests that ergothioneine is also important for oxygen‐independent life. Furthermore, one of the discovered ergothioneine biosynthetic enzymes provides the first example of a rhodanese‐like enzyme that transfers sulfur to non‐activated carbon. Abstract : Ohne Sauerstoff : Der Schwefelmetabolit Ergothionein ist ein weit verbreiteter Fänger von reaktiven Sauerstoffspezies. Die Entdeckung, dass Ergothionein in streng anaeroben Bakterien und Archaea produziert wird, lässt vermuten, dass Ergothionein auch für anoxisches Leben wichtig ist.