1999/05/21 by Jonathan Kennedy, Karine Auclair, Steven G. Kendrew +3 · 1 voice · 2 citations
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · Medicine · #Microbial Metabolism and Applications #Microbial Natural Products and Biosynthesis #Plant biochemistry and biosynthesis
paper · doi:10.1126/science.284.5418.1368
openalex publication_date 1999/05/21 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/04
Polyketides, the ubiquitous products of secondary metabolism in microorganisms, are made by a process resembling fatty acid biosynthesis that allows the suppression of reduction or dehydration reactions at specific biosynthetic steps, giving rise to a wide range of often medically useful products. The lovastatin biosynthesis cluster contains two type I polyketide synthase genes. Synthesis of the main nonaketide-derived skeleton was found to require the previously known iterative lovastatin nonaketide synthase (LNKS), plus at least one additional protein (LovC) that interacts with LNKS and is necessary for the correct processing of the growing polyketide chain and production of dihydromonacolin L. The noniterative lovastatin diketide synthase (LDKS) enzyme specifies formation of 2-methylbutyrate and interacts closely with an additional transesterase (LovD) responsible for assembling lovastatin from this polyketide and monacolin J.