title: Omega oxygenases: nonheme-iron enzymes and P450 cytochromes.
abstract: Enzymes that effect with ease one of the most difficult chemical reactions, hydroxylation of an unfunctionalized alkyl group, are of particular interest because highly reactive intermediates must be produced. A typical example, the hydroxylation of fatty acids in the omega position, is now known to occur widely in nature. The catalysts, which can be called "omega-oxygenases," also insert molecular oxygen into a variety of other substrates at positions removed from activating functional groups, as in steroids, eicosanoids, and numerous drugs and other xenobiotics. Progress in the characterization of bacterial nonheme-iron enzymes, and plant, bacterial, and mammalian P450 cytochromes that catalyze fatty acid omega-oxidation, and evidence for multiple functional oxidants are summarized.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Chemistry, Medical School, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA. mjcoon@umich.edu
authors.forename: Minor J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Coon
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D002384:Catalysis; D003577:Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology; D019159:Nonheme Iron Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D019159:Nonheme Iron Proteins; D010940:Plant Proteins; D003577:Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System