Biosynthesis of Fungal Polyketides

Abstract

Fungal polyketides comprise of a large group of structurally diverse compounds with a wide range of biological activities. These compounds are biosynthesised by Type I iterative polyketide synthases (PKS) which can be further defined as non-reducing (nr), partially reducing (pr) and highly reducing (hr) PKS. However, knowledge of the type of PKS is insufficient to predict the actual structure of the final compound. Advances in genome sequencing and bioinformatics technologies, coupled with increased understanding of fungal polyketide tailoring enzymes, make higher-order predictions about the structural family possible. Due to the increased understanding of fungal polyketide biosynthesis and the increased number of pathways characterised, engineering these pathways for the production of novel compounds is becoming more common. This review covers the recent progress in understanding the biosynthesis and engineering of fungal polyketides.