Modeling the initiation phase of the catalytic cycle in the glycyl-radical enzyme benzylsuccinate synthase

The reaction of benzylsuccinate synthase, the radical-based addition of toluene to a fumarate cosubstrate, is initiated by hydrogen-transfer from a conserved cysteine to the nearby glycyl radical in the active center of the enzyme. In this study we analyze this step by comprehensive computer modeling, predicting (i) the influence of bound substrates or products, (ii) the energy profiles of forward- and backward hydrogen-transfer reactions, (iii) their kinetic constants and potential mechanisms, (iv) enantiospecificity differences and (v) kinetic isotope effects. Moreover, we support several of the computational predictions experimentally, providing evidence for the predicted H/D-exchange reactions into the product and at the glycyl radical site. Our data indicate that the hydrogen transfer reactions between the active site glycyl and cysteine are principally reversible, but their rates differ strongly dependent on their stereochemical orientation, transfer of protium or deuterium, and the presence or absence of substrates or products in the active site. This is particularly evident for the isotope exchange of the remaining protium atom of the glycyl radical to deuterium, which appears dependent on substrate or product binding, explaining why it is observed in some, but not all glycyl-radical enzymes.