Abstractions

摘要

One of the largest natural product molecules, vitamin B_(12), is a molecular marvel and an enzymatic enigma. The biosynthetic enzymes responsible for the formation of one of its components, dubbed DMB, have remained elusive — until now. On page 449, biologist Graham Walker at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and his colleagues identify a role for the bacterial enzyme BluB in DMB formation and show that this enzyme catalyses complex and novel chemistry — including the cannibalization of flavin.