Engineering modular polyketide synthases for production of biofuels and industrial chemicals

- Microbial polyketide (PK) pathway provides diverse biofuels and industrial chemicals.
- Fine-tuned production of valuable chemicals requires rational engineering of PKS.
- Protein-protein interactions are important for the overall efficiency of hybrid PKS.
- Insights from recent study expedite efficient biosynthesis of PK-derived products.

Polyketide synthases (PKSs) are one of the most profound biosynthetic factories for producing polyketides with diverse structures and biological activities. These enzymes have been historically studied and engineered to make un-natural polyketides for drug discovery, and have also recently been explored for synthesizing biofuels and industrial chemicals due to their versatility and customizability. Here, we review recent advances in the mechanistic understanding and engineering of modular PKSs for producing polyketide-derived chemicals, and provide perspectives on this relatively new application of PKSs.

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