Natural Biocombinatorics in Polyketide Synthase Genes of Streptomyces avermitilis
Author Information
Author(s): Jenke-Kodama Holger, Börner Thomas, Dittmann Elke
Primary Institution: Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany
Hypothesis
How does the modularity of biosynthetic enzymes and the prevalence of multiple gene clusters in Streptomyces drive the evolution of metabolic diversity?
Conclusion
Homologous recombination facilitated by the modularity of PKS architecture is the most important mechanism underlying polyketide diversity in bacteria.
Supporting Evidence
- The majority of modules involved in the biosynthesis of a single compound evolved by duplication of a single ancestor module.
- 65% of the modules were altered by recombinational replacements that occurred within and between biosynthetic gene clusters.
- Natural reprogramming of biosynthetic pathways was confined to domains that account for the structural diversity of polyketide products.
Takeaway
Bacteria can mix and match parts of their enzyme systems to create new and diverse chemical compounds, which helps them survive and adapt.
Methodology
Phylogenetic analysis of ketosynthase domains and examination of gene clusters in Streptomyces avermitilis.
Limitations
The study primarily focuses on one model organism, which may limit the generalizability of the findings.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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