Polyketide synthases, intermediates

Recently, bacterial NRPS modules with the organization of A-KR-PCP have been discovered in the valino-mycin and cereulide synthetases. The A domains of these modules selectively activate a-keto acids. After the resulting adenylate is transferred to the PCP domain, the a-ketoacyl- -PCP intermediate is reduced to a PCP-bound, a-hydroxythioester by the KR domain. These domains use NAD(P)H as a cofactor and are inserted into A domains between two conserved core motifs analogous to MT domains. Their substrate specificity differs from that of polyketide synthase KR domains, which reduce /3-ketoacyl substrates. Similar fungal NRPSs, such as beauvericin synthetase, utilize A domains that selectively activate a-hydroxy acids. These molecules are thought to be obtained using an in trans KR domain, which directly reduces the necessary, soluble a-keto acid. 

Austin MB, Izumikawa M, Bowman ME, Udwary DW, Ferrer JL, Moore BS, Noel JP (2004) Crystal structure of a bacterial type III polyketide synthase and enzymatic control of reactive polyketide intermediates. J Biol Chem 279 45162-45174... 

Figure 1 Generic polyketide assembly pathway reactions catalyzed by iterative fungal polyketide synthases. The assembly sequence for the squalesatin tetraketide intermediate 37 is shown for illustration.

This review covers the biosynthesis of terrestriai and marine polyethers and discusses their biologic properties and the molecular genetics and enzymology of the proteins responsible for their formation. The biosynthesis of monensin, nanchangmycin, nonactin, and the marine polyether ladders are discussed in detail. Novel enzymes found only in type I polyketide polyether gene clusters that are responsible for the epoxidation and cyclization of polyene biosynthetic intermediates are described. The macrotetrolide biosynthetic gene cluster, which is an ACP-less type II polyketide synthase that functions noniteratively is reviewed. 

Despite their enormous structural diversity, polyketide metabolites are related by their common derivation from highly functionalised carbon chains whose assemblies are controlled by multifunctional enzyme complexes, the polyketide synthases (PKSs) which, like the closely related fatty acid synthases, catalyse repetitious sequences of decarboxylative condensation reactions between simple acyl thioesters and malonate, as shown in Fig. 3 [7]. Each condensation is followed by a cycle of modifying reactions ketoreduction, dehydration and enoyl reduction. In contrast to fatty acid biosynthesis where the full cycle of essentially reductive modifications normally follow each condensation reduction, the PKSs can use this sequence in a highly selective and controlled manner to assemble polyketide intermediates with an enormous number of permutations of functionality along the chain. As shown in Fig. 3, the reduction sequence can be largely or entirely omitted to produce the classical polyketide intermediate which bears a carbonyl on every alternate carbon and which normally cyclises to aromatic polyketide metabolites. On the other hand, the reductive sequence can be used fully or partially after each condensation to produce highly functionalised intermediates such as the Reduced polyketide in Fig. 3. Basic questions to be answered are (i) what is the actual polyketide intermediate... 

Stable isotope labelling is also proving to have an important role in studies on the enzymology of polyketide biosynthesis. The acyl carrier protein (AGP) components of polyketide synthases (PKSs) are believed to play a central role in the control of the assembly and stabilisation of polyketide intermediates, especially of the highly oxygenated intermediates necessarily involved in biosynthesis of... 

The biosynthesis of erythromycin can be divided into two phases (Scheme 1). In the first constructive phase of the pathway a set of key enzymes, collectively known as the polyketide synthase (PKS), assembles the typical polyketide chain by sequential condensation of one unit of propionyl-CoA and six units of methylmalonyl-CoA 6. The initially formed chain is cyclised to give the first macrocychc lactone (macrolide) intermediate 6-deoxyerythronolide B 7 [6,7]. In the second phase 6-deoxyerythronohde B is elaborated by a series of tailoring enzymes which carry out regiospecific hydroxylations, glycosylations and a methylation (of an added sugar residue) to give finally erythromycin A. The core polyketide structure is generated by the PKS in phase one, but the later steps of phase two are essential to produce active antibiotics. 

A more satisfying proposal is that methyl transferase activities are present within the polyketide synthase, which catalyses the formation of carbon-carbon bonds at activated methylene groups of the )8-keto thioester intermediates. This idea has been postulated by O Hagan and co-workers, who have predicted a domain and module sequence of the putative PKS responsible for cubensic acid 76 biosynthesis (see Fig. 8) [115,116]. 

The combination of a root hair specific EST approach and expression analysis was an effective strategy for isolating candidate polyketide synthases potentially involved in sorgoleone biosynthesis. As a result of these efforts, two novel type III polyketide synthases have been identified that preferentially use long chain acyl Co-A s and are potentially involved in sorgoleone biosynthesis. These candidate polyketide synthases can form pentadecatriene resorcinol, an intermediate in sorgoleone biosynthesis. Furthermore, these efforts may aid in the identification of other polyketide synthases responsible for the biosynthesis of phenolic lipids in other plant species. 

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