A copper-containing oxidase catalyzes C-nitrosation in nitrosobenzamide biosynthesis.

Although C-nitroso aromatic compounds have several bioactivities of medicinal interest, the biosynthetic enzymes involved in C-nitrosation have remained unknown until now. Here, we report the entire biosynthesis pathway of 4-hydroxy-3-nitrosobenzamide in Streptomyces murayamaensis, in which a tyrosinase-like copper-containing monooxygenase is responsible for the C-nitrosation. This finding indicates diverse catalytic functions of tyrosinase-like copper-containing monooxygenases in nature.