title: Quartromicin biosynthesis: two alternative polyketide chains produced by one polyketide synthase assembly line.
abstract: The antiviral compounds quartromicins represent unique members of a family of spirotetronate natural products. In this study, a biosynthetic gene cluster of quartromicins was identified by degenerate primer PCR amplification of specific genes involved in the biosynthesis of the tetronate moiety. The biochemical results confirmed that 1,3-bisphosphoglycerate was incorporated into the tetronate ring, and the intermediates of this ring were also reconstructed in vitro. The data also suggested a module skipping strategy for the production of two alternative polyketide chains by the same polyketide synthase assembly line. These findings set the stage for further investigations of the stereodivergent intermolecular cyclization mechanism, and highlight how nature has constructed this type of C2 symmetric molecule through intermolecular dimerization.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Bio-organic and Natural Products Chemistry, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 345 Lingling Road, Shanghai 200032, China.
authors.forename: Hai-Yan
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: He
authors.forename: Hai-Xue
authors.initials: HX
authors.lastname: Pan
authors.forename: Long-Fei
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Bei-Bei
authors.initials: BB
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Han-Bo
authors.initials: HB
authors.lastname: Chai
authors.forename: Wen
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Gong-Li
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Tang
mesh_terms: D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000378:metabolism*; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D019295:Computational Biology; D003500:Cyclization; D005663:Furans / Q000378:metabolism*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D005810:Multigene Family; D048630:Polyketide Synthases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D013141:Spiro Compounds / Q000378:metabolism*; D013237:Stereoisomerism
chemical_list: D000998:Antiviral Agents; D005663:Furans; D013141:Spiro Compounds; C457021:quartromicin; D048630:Polyketide Synthases