A late-stage intermediate in salinomycin biosynthesis is revealed by specific mutation in the biosynthetic gene cluster


Marie E. Yurkovich, PetrosA. Tyrakis, Hui Hong, Yuhui Sun, Markiyan Samborskyy, Kohei Kamiya, and Peter F. Leadlay*


ChemBioChem 2012, 13(1):66-71

Epub Date: 11 November 2011

DOI: 10.1002/cbic.201100590


Abstract

Say “when”: Analysis of the biosynthetic gene cluster for the polyether antibiotic and anticancer agent salinomycin shows that its core structure is synthesised by a nine-multienzyme modular polyketide synthase. Deletion of the salC gene, which is required for oxidative cyclisation, has led to the detection ofa novel metabolite whose structure reveals the timing of a key dehydration step.