Enzymes polyketide synthases

The Polyketide Pathway One metabolic process that has received much attention from natural product chemists is the production of secondary metabolites via polyketide synthase (PKS) enzymes. Polyketide synthases condense small starting... 

Many enzymes are involved in the synthesis of secondary metabolites. The modular biosynthetic enzymes polyketide synthase (PKS) and nonribosomal peptide synthetase (NRPS) are responsible for the generation of a multitude of structurally diverse and biologically important small-molecule natural products. A complex carbon structure is assembled sequentially from simple carbon building blocks (acyl-CoA and amino acids). The elongation of each carbon unit is catalyzed by... 

It is very likely that a similar Type I polyketide synthase constructs the naphthoate fragment of azinomycin B. This will be a very interesting enzyme to study, since it will need to perform an unprecedented three regioselective reduction reactions, as well as controlling the polyketide chain length and directing its cycliza-tion. 

The biosynthesis of polyketides (including chain initiation, elongation, and termination processes) is catalyzed by large multi-enzyme complexes called polyketide synthases (PKSs). The polyketides are synthesized from starter units such as acetyl-CoA, propionyl-CoA, and other acyl-CoA units. Extender units such as malonyl-CoA and methylmalonyl-CoA are repetitively added via a decarboxylative process to a growing carbon chain. Ultimately, the polyketide chain is released from the PKS by cleavage of the thioester, usually accompanied by chain cyclization [49]. 

Pohl, N.L. (2002) Nonnatural substrates for polyketide synthases and their associated modifying enzymes. Current Opinion in Chemical Biology, 6, 773-778. 

In this chapter, we describe the atomic resolution structural elucidation of several plant type III polyketide synthases, including chalcone synthase, 2-pyrone synthase, and stilbene synthase. Manipulation of the catalytic activity and specificity of these biosynthetic enzymes by using a structurally guided approach offers a novel... 

LANZ T., TROPF, S., MARNER, F.J, SCHRODER, J., SCHRODER, G., The role of cysteines in polyketide synthases site-directed mutagenesis of resveratrol and chalcone synthases, two key enzymes in different plant-specific pathways, J. Biol. Chem., 1991, 266, 9971-9976. 

ENZ enzyme assays, SC structural composition, MM molecular methods, IL isotopic labeling, IF isotopic fractionation, INH inhibition studies, UNK unknown, LOX lipoxogenase, EPSP synthase 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate, SDH shikimate dehydrogenase, PAL phenylalanine ammonium lyase, PKS polyketide synthase, NRPS nonribosomal peptide synthase 1 Gerwick 1999 2 Liu et al. 1994 3 Boonprab et al. 2003 4 Cvejic and Rohmer 1999 5 Disch et al. 1998 6 Chikaraishi et al. 2006 7 Schwender et al. 2001 8 Schwender et al. 1997 9 Mayes et al. 1993 10 Shick et al. 1999 11 Richards et al. 2006 12 Bouarab et al. 2004 13 Pelletreau et al., unpublished data 14 Dittman and Weigand 2006 15 Rein and Barrone 1999 Empty columns imply no direct evidence of these enzymes from these systems... 

Native CHS is a homodimer with subunits of 40 to 44kDa. The structure of the protein produced from the CHS2 cDNA of M. sativa has been determined and the residues of the active site defined. It belongs to the polyketide synthase (PKS) group of enzymes that occur in bacteria, fungi, and plants, and is a type III PKS. All the reactions are carried out at a single active site without the need for cofactors. 

Preisig-Mueller, R. et al.. Plant polyketide synthases leading to stilbenoids have a domain catalyzing malonyl-CoA C02 exchange, malonyl-CoA decarboxylation, and covalent enzyme modification and a site for chain lengthening. Biochemistry, 36, 8349, 1997. 

FIGURE 16.3 Overview of the biosynthesis of (I) chalcones and (II) 6 -deoxychalcones. The sequential condensation of three molecules of malonyl-CoA (acetate pathway) and p-coumaroyl-CoA (shikimate pathway) is catalyzed by the enzyme chalcone synthase.The production of 6 -deoxychalcones is thought to involve an additional reduction step at the tri- or tetraketide level, catalyzed by polyketide reductase.The origin of the A-ring carbons derived from the acetate pathway is indicated in bold. CoA, coenzyme A. 

Schroder, J., Plant polyketide synthases a chalcone synthase-type enzyme which performs a condensation reaction with methylmalonyl-CoA in the biosynthesis of C-methylated chalcones. 

The biosynthesis of many hydroxylated natural products proceeds through regio- and enantioselective modification of polyketides, which are assembled through chain elongation via acetate or propionate units [2]. The enzymes responsible for the chain elongation and subsequent reduction, elimination, aromatiza-tion, and further modifications are classified as polyketide synthases [3]. These multifunctional enzymes have been used for whole-cell biotransformation toward unnatural metabolites that are within the scope of combinatorial biosynthesis... 

Figure 1.37 Proposed biosynthetic pathway of curcuminoids in tumeric. Enzyme abbreviations CCOMT, caffeoyl-CoA O-methyltransferase 4CL, 4-coumarate CoA ligase CST, shikimate transferase CS3 H, p-coumaroyl 5-O-shikimate 3 -hydroxylase OMT, O-methyltransferase PKS, polyketide synthase. [Adapted from Ramirez-Ahumada et al. (2006)]...

A detailed study of amino acid sequences and mechanistic similarities in various polyketide synthase (PKS) enzymes has led to two main types being distinguished. Type I enzymes consist of one or more large multifunctional proteins that possess a distinct active site for every enzyme-catalysed step. On the other hand, Type II enzymes are multienzyme complexes that carry out a single set of repeating activities. Like fatty acid synthases, PKSs catalyse the condensation of coenzyme A esters of simple carboxylic acids. However, the variability at each step in... 

The polyketide synthases responsible for chain extension of cinnamoyl-CoA starter units leading to flavonoids and stilbenes, and of anthraniloyl-CoA leading to quinoline and acridine alkaloids (see page 377) do not fall into either of the above categories and have now been termed Type TTT PKSs. These enzymes differ from the other examples in that they are homodimeric proteins, they utilize coenzyme A esters rather than acyl carrier proteins, and they employ a single active site to perform a series of decarboxylation, condensation, cyclization, and aromatization reactions. 

Keywords Chalcone synthase superfamily enzyme, Engineered biosynthesis, Precursor-directed biosynthesis, Structure-based engineering, Type III polyketide synthase... 

The chalcone synthase (CHS) (EC 2.3.1.74) superfamily of type III Polyketide synthases (PKSs) are pivotal enzymes in the biosynthesis of plant polyphenols. They are structurally and mechanistically different from the modular type I and the dissociated type II PKSs of bacterial origin the simple homodimer of 4CM-5 kDa proteins performs a complete series of decarboxylation, condensation, cyclization,... 

Aromatic polyketides are structurally diverse, often polycyclic molecules that are derived from unreduced polyketone chains. This group of compounds is produced with the help of type II polyketide synthase (PKS), a complex of enzymes that catalyzes the iterative decarboxylative condensation of malonyl-CoA extender units with an acyl starter unit [70], The carbon framework of aromatic polyketides is further decorated with different functionalities, and carbohydrates are often one of them. Their presence has profound effects on physico-chemical and biological properties of aromatic polyketides. For example, anthracycline aglycones are stable and unpolar, while polyglycosylated anthracyclines are quite polar and often... 

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