Biosynthesis and Genetic Engineering of Polyketides

Polyketides are one of the largest groups of natural products produced by bacteria , fungi , and plants . Many of these metabolites have highly complex chemical structures and very important biological activities , including antibiotic , anti- cancer , immunosuppressant , and anti- cholesterol activities . In the past two decades , extensive investigations have been car- ried out to understand the molecular mechanisms for polyketide biosynthesis . These efforts have led to the development of var- ious rational approaches toward engineered biosynthesis of new polyketides . More recently, the research efforts have shifted to the elucidation of the three-dimentional structure of the complex enzyme machineries for polyketide biosynthesis and to the ex- ploitation of new sources for polyketide production , such as filamentous fungi and marine microorganisms . This review sum- marizes our general understanding of the biosynthetic mechanisms and the progress in engineered biosynthesis of polyketides . Abstract: