Biosynthesis of Mupirocin by Pseudomonas fluorescens NCIMB 10586 Involves Parallel Pathways

Mupirocin, a clinically important antibiotic produced via a trans-AT Type I polyketide synthase (PKS) in Pseudomonas fluorescens, consists of a mixture of mainly pseudomonic acids A, B, and C. Detailed metabolic profiling of mutant strains produced by systematic inactivation of PKS and tailoring genes, along with re-feeding of isolated metabolites to mutant stains, has allowed the isolation of a large number of novel metabolites, identification of the 10,11-epoxidase, and full characterization of the mupirocin biosynthetic pathway, which proceeds via major (10,11-epoxide) and minor (10,11-alkene) parallel pathways.