PMP–diketopiperazine adducts form at the active site of a PLP dependent enzyme involved in formycin biosynthesis

ForI is a PLP-dependent enzyme from the biosynthetic pathway of the C-nucleoside antibiotic formycin. Cycloserine is thought to inhibit PLP-dependent enzymes by irreversibly forming a PMP–isoxazole. We now report that ForI forms novel PMP–diketopiperazine derivatives following incubation with both d and l cycloserine. This unexpected result suggests chemical diversity in the chemistry of cycloserine inhibition.