10.1016/j.biochi.2015.05.019
This research focuses on expanding the chemical space of polyketides, a class of compounds with significant pharmaceutical properties, by employing structure-guided mutagenesis of Vitis vinifera stilbene synthase (VvSTS), a type III polyketide synthase (PKS). The purpose of the study was to diversify the chemical space of polyketides by creating mutants of VvSTS and challenging them with non-natural substrates. The researchers were able to generate 15 previously unreported polyketide molecules by exploring the substrate promiscuity of the wild-type enzyme and all mutants using unnatural substrates. The chemicals used in the process included various non-natural substrates such as propionyl-CoA, myristoyl-CoA, octanoyl-CoA, and methylmalonyl-CoA, which were combined with malonyl-CoA as the extender substrate. The study concluded that by altering the size of the substrate binding pocket and the cyclization pocket through mutations, the researchers could significantly diversify the polyketide space, establishing VvSTS as a candidate enzyme for future protein engineering efforts and as a tool for generating libraries of novel polyketides with potential therapeutic value.