C-Methylation Catalyzed by Fom3, a Cobalamin-Dependent Radical S-adenosyl-L-methionine Enzyme in Fosfomycin Biosynthesis, Proceeds with Inversion of Configuration

Fom3, a cobalamin-dependent radical S-adenosyl-L-methionine (SAM) methyltransferase, catalyzes C-methylation at the C2 position of cytidylylated 2-hydroxyethylphosphonate (HEP-CMP) to afford cytidylylated 2-hydroxypropylphosphonate (HPP-CMP) in fosfomycin biosynthesis. In this study, the Fom3 reaction product HPP-CMP was reanalyzed by chiral ligand exchange chromatography to confirm its stereochemistry. The Fom3 methylation product was found to be (S)HPP-CMP only, indicating that the stereochemistry of the C-methylation catalyzed by Fom3 is (S)-selective. In addition, Fom3 reaction was performed with (S)-[2-H-2(1)]HEP-CMP and (R)-[2-H-2(1)]HEP-CMP to elucidate the stereoselectivity during the abstraction of the hydrogen atom from C2 of HEP-CMP. Liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization mass spectrometry analysis of the 5'-deoxyadenosine produced showed that the H-2 atom of (R)-[2-H-2(1)]HEP-CMP was incorporated into S'-deoxyadenosine but that from (S)-[2-H-2(1)]HEP-CMP was not. Retention of the H-2 atom of (S)-[2-H-2(1)]HEP-CMP in HPP-CMP was also observed. These results indicate that the 5'-deoxyadenosyl radical stereoselectively abstracts the pro-R hydrogen atom at the C2 position of HEP-CMP and the substrate radical intermediate reacts with the methyl group on cobalamin that is located on the opposite side of the substrate from SAM. Consequently, it was clarified that the C-methylation catalyzed by Fom3 proceeds with inversion of configuration.