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Updated: Jun 23, 2026
09:08
From a Natural Product to Its Biosynthetic Gene Cluster: A Demonstration Using Polyketomycin from Streptomyces diastatochromogenes Tü6028
Published on: January 13, 2017
Biosynthesis of polyketide synthase extender units.
Yolande A Chan1, Angela M Podevels, Brian M Kevany
1Department of Bacteriology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA.
Natural Product Reports
|April 21, 2009
Summary
This review explores how polyketide synthases build complex molecules using extender units. It details the metabolic pathways for creating these essential building blocks in polyketide biosynthesis.
Area of Science:
- Biochemistry
- Metabolic Engineering
Background:
- Polyketides are a diverse class of natural products with significant pharmaceutical applications.
- Polyketide synthases (PKS) are large multi-modular enzymes responsible for their biosynthesis.
- The variety of polyketide structures is determined by the extender units incorporated during assembly.
Purpose of the Study:
- To provide a comprehensive overview of the biosynthesis of polyketide synthase extender units.
- To elucidate the metabolic origins of all currently known PKS extender units.
- To serve as a foundational resource for researchers in natural product biosynthesis.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of existing research on polyketide biosynthesis.
- Analysis of metabolic pathways involved in the production of extender units.
- Compilation and categorization of known polyketide synthase extender units.
Main Results:
- Detailed description of the metabolic pathways for producing common extender units like malonyl-CoA and methylmalonyl-CoA.
- Identification and discussion of less common and specialized extender units and their unique biosynthetic origins.
- Summary of the enzymatic machinery and genetic loci responsible for extender unit formation.
Conclusions:
- Extender unit biosynthesis is a critical determinant of polyketide structural diversity.
- Understanding these pathways is essential for engineering novel polyketides.
- Further research into novel extender unit pathways could unlock new therapeutic compounds.
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