Polyketide biosynthesis is the enzymatic assembly of carbon skeletons from short-chain acyl precursors through repeated carbon–carbon bond formation [1]. Polyketide synthases select starter and extender units and catalyze decarboxylative condensations; optional processing of the resulting intermediates establishes their oxidation states and substitution patterns [2]. Modular assembly lines can terminate chains through cyclization, while additional tailoring enzymes modify the initially assembled scaffold through oxidation, ring formation, or other reactions [3]. Carrier-protein domains tether intermediates through a phosphopantetheine-linked thioester and deliver them to successive catalytic domains. Domain recognition and movement coordinate extension and modification within the enzyme system. The order of these reactions, together with precursor selection and chain-release chemistry, specifies the structural framework of the resulting polyketide [4][5].
Microbial Natural Products and Biosynthesis·Pharmacology·Medicine·Health Sciences