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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 2, 2026

Biosynthesis of a Flavonol from a Flavanone by Establishing a One-pot Bienzymatic Cascade

Biosynthesis of a Flavonol from a Flavanone by Establishing a One-pot Bienzymatic Cascade

Published on: August 14, 2019

Convergent strategies in biosynthesis.

Tohru Dairi¹, Tomohisa Kuzuyama, Makoto Nishiyama

¹Faculty of Engineering and Graduate School of Engineering, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-8628, Japan. dairi@eng.hokudai.ac.jp

Natural Product Reports

|May 7, 2011

Summary

Nature employs diverse strategies for synthesizing small molecules, showcasing convergent metabolism. This review explores four distinct biosynthetic pathways for isopentenyl diphosphate, menaquinone, lysine, and aromatic polyketides.

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A Customizable Approach for the Enzymatic Production and Purification of Diterpenoid Natural Products

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Published on: October 4, 2019

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Last Updated: Jun 2, 2026

Biosynthesis of a Flavonol from a Flavanone by Establishing a One-pot Bienzymatic Cascade

Biosynthesis of a Flavonol from a Flavanone by Establishing a One-pot Bienzymatic Cascade

Published on: August 14, 2019

A Customizable Approach for the Enzymatic Production and Purification of Diterpenoid Natural Products

A Customizable Approach for the Enzymatic Production and Purification of Diterpenoid Natural Products

Published on: October 4, 2019

Area of Science:

Biochemistry
Metabolic Engineering
Natural Product Synthesis

Background:

Biological systems often face similar metabolic challenges.
Convergent metabolic pathways represent efficient solutions in nature.
Understanding these diverse strategies is key to metabolic engineering.

Purpose of the Study:

To review and highlight nature's varied approaches to solving identical biosynthetic problems.
To illustrate the concept of convergent metabolism through specific examples.
To provide insights into the flexibility and ingenuity of biological pathways.

Main Methods:

Literature review of key biosynthetic pathways.
Comparative analysis of different metabolic strategies.
Focus on four representative examples: isopentenyl diphosphate, menaquinone, lysine, and aromatic polyketides.

Main Results:

Demonstration of distinct biosynthetic routes for the same target molecules.
Identification of unique enzymatic steps and regulatory mechanisms.
Highlighting four key examples of convergent metabolism in action.

Conclusions:

Nature utilizes a remarkable array of strategies for small molecule biosynthesis.
Convergent metabolism offers diverse solutions to fundamental biochemical needs.
These findings have implications for synthetic biology and drug discovery.