title: Genomic insights into the distribution, genetic diversity and evolution of polyketide synthases and nonribosomal peptide synthetases.
abstract: Polyketides and nonribosomal peptides are important secondary metabolites that exhibit enormous structural diversity, have many pharmaceutical applications, and include a number of clinically important drugs. These complex metabolites are most commonly synthesized on enzymatic assembly lines of polyketide synthases and nonribosomal peptide synthetases. Genome-mining studies making use of the recent explosion in the number of genome sequences have demonstrated unexpected enzymatic diversity and greatly expanded the known distribution of these enzyme systems across the three domains of life. The wealth of data now available suggests that genome-mining efforts will uncover new natural products, novel biosynthetic mechanisms, and shed light on the origin and evolution of these important enzymes.
authors.affiliation: Division of Microbiology and Biotechnology, Department of Food and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, FIN-00014 Helsinki, Finland. Electronic address: wang.hao@helsinki.fi.
authors.forename: Hao
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Division of Microbiology and Biotechnology, Department of Food and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, FIN-00014 Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Kaarina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sivonen
authors.affiliation: Division of Microbiology and Biotechnology, Department of Food and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, FIN-00014 Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: David P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Fewer
mesh_terms: D001105:Archaea / Q000235:genetics; D001419:Bacteria / Q000235:genetics; D005075:Biological Evolution; D056890:Eukaryota / Q000235:genetics; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D014644:Genetic Variation / Q000235:genetics*; D010453:Peptide Synthases / Q000235:genetics*; D010455:Peptides / Q000235:genetics; D048630:Polyketide Synthases / Q000235:genetics*; D061065:Polyketides; D014176:Protein Biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D010455:Peptides; D061065:Polyketides; D048630:Polyketide Synthases; D010453:Peptide Synthases; C104385:non-ribosomal peptide synthase