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. 2024 Sep 16;16(12):1989–1998. doi: 10.1038/s41557-024-01603-z

Fig. 1. AetD is a member of the HDO enzyme superfamily that catalyses nitrile formation.

Fig. 1

a, Known nitrile biosynthetic enzymes in nature: (1) two cytochrome P450s are involved in converting tyrosine (1) via an oxime to nitrile 2 during the biosynthesis of the cyanogenic glucoside (S)-dhurrin (3); (2) ToyM catalyses the conversion of carboxylic acid 4 via an amide intermediate to nitrile 5 during toyocamycin (6) biosynthesis; (3) AetD converts the alanyl side chain of 5,7-dibromo-l-tryptophan (7) to nitrile 8 en route to the biosynthesis of cyanobacterial toxin aetokthonotoxin (9). b, Previously established reactions of HDO biochemistry. Nitrile formation expands the known reactivity of HDO enzymes, which includes (1) desaturase-lyases; (2) N-oxygenation; and (3) methine excision.