Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 11, 2025

From a Natural Product to Its Biosynthetic Gene Cluster: A Demonstration Using Polyketomycin from Streptomyces diastatochromogenes Tü6028
Published on: January 13, 2017
Biosynthesis of fungal polyketides by collaborating and trans-acting enzymes
1Department of Chemistry, BioDiscovery Institute, University of North Texas, 1155 Union Circle, Denton, TX 76203, USA. Elizabeth.skellam@unt.edu.
Abstract:
Covering: 1999 up to 2021Fungal polyketides encompass a range of structurally diverse molecules with a wide variety of biological activities. The giant multifunctional enzymes that synthesize polyketide backbones remain enigmatic, as do many of the tailoring enzymes involved in functional modifications. Recent advances in elucidating biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) have revealed numerous examples of fungal polyketide synthases that require the action of collaborating enzymes to synthesize the carbon backbone. This review will discuss collaborating and trans-acting enzymes involved in loading, extending, and releasing polyketide intermediates from fungal polyketide synthases, and additional modifications introduced by trans-acting enzymes demonstrating the complexity encountered when investigating natural product biosynthesis in fungi.
Related Concept Videos
Biosynthesis in Bacteria
Biosynthesis of Polysaccharides
Amino Acid Biosynthetic Pathways
Biosynthesis of Lipids
Overview of Fungi
Peptidoglycan Synthesis

