Expanding the Diversity of the Terpene Skeleton and Structure through Identification of Noncanonical Class IE and IF...

Noncanonical class IE and IF terpene synthases have recently been discovered from bacterial genomes through the nonsequence-similarity-based method: protein-structural-model-based genome mining. This study identified the class IE product as a new diterpene comprising the first hydrocarbon skeleton among all terpenoids. The skeleton with a 6/6/6-fused tricyclic structure and six methyl groups could be synthesized through an unprecedented terpene-forming reaction. The class IF product was identified as a new brasilane-type sesquiterpene.