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Updated: Jul 2, 2025

A Customizable Approach for the Enzymatic Production and Purification of Diterpenoid Natural Products
Published on: October 4, 2019
Combinatorial biosynthesis in yeast leads to over 200 diterpenoids
Maximilian Frey1, Ulschan Bathe2, Luca Meink1
1Department of Cell and Metabolic Biology, Leibniz Institute of Plant Biochemistry, Weinberg 3, 06120, Halle (Saale), Germany.
Combinatorial biosynthesis in yeast generated over 200 diterpenoids, with 162 new-to-Nature compounds. This approach expands the exploration of diverse diterpenoid chemical space for potential pharmaceuticals and industrial applications.
Area of Science:
- Natural Product Chemistry
- Synthetic Biology
- Biotechnology
Background:
- Diterpenoids are versatile natural products with pharmaceutical and industrial potential.
- Combinatorial biosynthesis offers a powerful strategy for generating diverse diterpenoid libraries due to enzyme modularity and promiscuity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the diterpenoid chemical space using a combinatorial biosynthesis approach in yeast.
- To generate novel diterpenoids by combining various diterpene synthases and cytochrome P450 oxygenases (CYPs).
Main Methods:
- Engineered yeast strains expressing combinations of ten diterpene synthases and four CYPs.
- Analysis of produced compounds to identify and characterize novel diterpenoids.
Main Results:
- Production of over 200 diterpenoids, with 162 identified as new-to-Nature compounds.
- Demonstrated broad substrate acceptance by CYPs, with notable regioselectivity.
- Established a foundation for systematic exploration of diterpenoid chemical diversity in yeast.
Conclusions:
- Combinatorial assembly of diterpene synthases and CYPs in yeast is an effective method for discovering novel diterpenoids.
- This strategy significantly expands the accessible diterpenoid chemical space.
- The findings pave the way for future discovery of valuable compounds for various applications.
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