The catalytic mechanism of sulfoxide synthases

Sulfoxide synthases are non-heme iron enzymes that catalyze oxidative carbonesulfur bond formation in the biosynthesis of thiohistidines such as ergothioneine and ovothiol. The catalytic mechanism of these enzymes has been studied by protein crystallography, steady-state kinetics, non-natural amino acid incorporation and computational modeling. This review discusses the current status of this research and also highlights similarities between the C-S bond forming activity of sulfoxide synthases with that of synthetic coordination compounds.