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Updated: Apr 19, 2026

Unraveling Entropic Rate Acceleration Induced by Solvent Dynamics in Membrane Enzymes
Published on: January 16, 2016
Acyl-chain elongation drives ketosynthase substrate selectivity in trans-acyltransferase polyketide synthases
Matthew Jenner1, José Pedro Afonso, Hannah R Bailey
1School of Chemistry, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham NG7 2RD (UK).
Abstract:
Type I modular polyketide synthases (PKSs), which are responsible for the biosynthesis of many biologically active agents, possess a ketosynthase (KS) domain within each module to catalyze chain elongation. Acylation of the KS active site Cys residue is followed by transfer to malonyl-ACP to yield an extended β-ketoacyl chain (ACP = acyl carrier protein). To date, the precise contribution of KS selectivity in controlling product fidelity has been unclear. Six KS domains from trans-acyltransferase (trans-AT) PKSs were subjected to a mass spectrometry based elongation assay, and higher substrate selectivity was identified for the elongating step than in preceding acylation. A close correspondence between the observed KS selectivity and that predicted by phylogenetic analysis was seen. These findings provide insights into the mechanism of KS selectivity in this important group of PKSs, can serve as guidance for engineering, and show that targeted mutagenesis can be used to expand the repertoire of acceptable substrates.
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