title: Confluence of structural and chemical biology: plant polyketide synthases as biocatalysts for a bio-based future.
abstract: Type III plant polyketide synthases (PKSs) biosynthesize a dazzling array of polyphenolic products that serve important roles in both plant and human health. Recent advances in structural characterization of these enzymes and new tools from the field of chemical biology have facilitated exquisite probing of plant PKS iterative catalysis. These tools have also been used to exploit type III PKSs as biocatalysts to generate new chemicals. Going forward, chemical, structural and biochemical analyses will provide an atomic resolution understanding of plant PKSs and will serve as a springboard for bioengineering and scalable production of valuable molecules in vitro, by fermentation and in planta.
authors.affiliation: Howard Hughes Medical Institute, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, Jack H. Skirball Center for Chemical Biology and Proteomics, 10010 N. Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA.
authors.forename: Charles
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Stewart
authors.forename: Christopher R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Vickery
authors.forename: Michael D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Burkart
authors.forename: Joseph P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Noel
mesh_terms: D000217:Acyltransferases / Q000378:metabolism; D001709:Biotechnology / Q000379:methods*; D020134:Catalytic Domain; D005285:Fermentation; D018716:Molecular Mimicry; D010944:Plants / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000378:metabolism; D048630:Polyketide Synthases / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism*; D061065:Polyketides / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D011487:Protein Conformation
chemical_list: D061065:Polyketides; D048630:Polyketide Synthases; D000217:Acyltransferases; C020141:flavanone synthetase