The diverse and pervasive chemistries of the α-keto acid dependent enzymes

Abstract
The number of identified and confirmed α-keto acid dependent oxygenases is increasing rapidly. All of these enzymes have a relatively simple liganding arrangement for a single ferrous ion but collectively conduct a highly diverse set of chemistries. While hydroxylations and a variety of oxidation reactions have been most commonly observed, new reactions involving dealkylations, epimerizations and halogenations have recently been discovered. In this minireview we present what is known of the α-keto acid dependent enzymes and offer an argument that the chemistry that is unique to each enzyme occurs only after the production of a pivotal ferryl-oxo intermediate.
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