title: Isoprenoid-like alkylations in polyketide biosynthesis.
abstract: Polyketides are secondary metabolites biosynthesized by the iterative Claisen condensation of malonate units. Despite utilizing only a small set of biochemical transformations, the polyketide biosynthetic machinery yields products of striking structural complexity and diversity. Recently, a new polyketide alkylation pathway was characterized that allows access to "beta-branched" structures. This Highlight will describe this alkylation sequence, with special emphasis on its parallels to isoprenoid biosynthesis from primary metabolism and the scope of structures accessible via this pathway.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, 240 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA. ccalder2@macalester.edu
authors.forename: Christopher T
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Calderone
mesh_terms: D000478:Alkylation; D015394:Molecular Structure; D048630:Polyketide Synthases / Q000378:metabolism*; D013729:Terpenes / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D013729:Terpenes; D048630:Polyketide Synthases