Analysis of the ketosynthase-chain length factor heterodimer from the fredericamycin polyketide synthase.

The pentadecaketide fredericamycin has the longest carbon chain backbone among polycyclic aromatic polyketide antibiotics whose biosynthetic genes have been sequenced. This backbone is synthesized by the bimodular fdm polyketide synthase (PKS). Here, we demonstrate that the bimodular fdm PKS as well as its elongation module alone synthesize undecaketides and dodecaketides.

Mechanism and engineering of polyketide chain initiation in fredericamycin biosynthesis.

The ability to incorporate atypical primer units through the use of dedicated initiation polyketide synthase (PKS) modules offers opportunities to expand the molecular diversity of polyketide natural products. Here we identify the initiation PKS module responsible for hexadienyl priming of the antibiotic fredericamycin and investigate its biochemical properties. We also exploit this PKS module for the design and in vivo biosynthesis of unusually primed analogues of a representative polyketide product, thereby emphasizing its utility to the metabolic engineer.

Characterization and mechanistic studies of DesII: a radical S-adenosyl-L-methionine enzyme involved in the biosynthesis of TDP-D-desosamine.

D-desosamine (1) is a 3-(N,N-dimethylamino)-3,4,6-trideoxyhexose found in a number of macrolide antibiotics including methymycin (2), neomethymycin (3), pikromycin (4), and narbomycin (5) produced by Streptomyces venezuelae . It plays an essential role in conferring biological activities to its parent aglycones. Previous genetic and biochemical studies of the biosynthesis of desosamine in S.

Structure and mutagenic conversion of E1 dehydrase: at the crossroads of dehydration, amino transfer, and epimerization.

Pyridoxal 5'-phosphate (PLP) and pyridoxamine 5'-phosphate (PMP) are highly versatile coenzymes whose importance is well recognized. The capability of PLP/PMP-dependent enzymes to catalyze a diverse array of chemical reactions is attributed to fine-tuning of the cofactor-substrate interactions in the active site. CDP-6-deoxy-L-threo-D-glycero-4-hexulose 3-dehydrase (E1), along with its reductase (E3), catalyzes the C-3 deoxygenation of CDP-4-keto-6-deoxy-D-glucose to form the dehydrated product, CDP-4-keto-3,6-dideoxy- d-glucose, in the ascarylose biosynthetic pathway.