title: The chemical biology of modular biosynthetic enzymes.
abstract: Fatty acid synthase (FAS), polyketide synthase (PKS), and nonribosomal peptide synthetase (NRPS) modular biosynthetic enzymes are responsible for the production of a multitude of structurally diverse and biologically important small molecule natural products. Traditional biochemical and genetic studies of these enzymes have contributed substantially to the understanding of their underlying biosynthetic mechanisms. More recently these investigations have been aided by the skillful application of a combination of chemical and biological techniques to aid in overcoming the unique challenges associated with the enzymology of these large multifunctional enzymes. This critical review provides a historical context and details studies (through July 2008) which aim to identify and characterize these enzymes using synthetically and/or chemoenzymatically generated small molecule probes (233 references).
authors: Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California-San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093-0358, USA.
authors: Jordan L
authors: JL
authors: Meier
authors: Michael D
authors: MD
authors: Burkart
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D064429:Fatty Acid Synthases / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D008958:Models, Molecular; D015394:Molecular Structure; D010453:Peptide Synthases / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D048630:Polyketide Synthases / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D025941:Protein Interaction Mapping; D013379:Substrate Specificity
chemical_list: D002352:Carrier Proteins; D048630:Polyketide Synthases; D064429:Fatty Acid Synthases; D010453:Peptide Synthases