Chiral building blocks are useful starting materials in the syntheses of natural products and pharmaceuticals. Our lab has been employing isolated enzymes from modular polyketide synthases as well as auxiliary enzymes as biocatalysts to generate desired diketide and triketide building blocks. Provided with simple precursors and methylmalonyl extender units generated by a malonyl-CoA ligase, engineered polyketide synthase modules are capable of synthesizing valuable polyketides. These enzymes are remarkably regio- and stereospecific catalysts even in these in vitro systems and can be employed to inexpensively produce preparative quantities of desired stereopure products, thereby establishing a new paradigm in green chemistry.

Employing polyketide synthase enzymes as biocatalysts to generate chiral building blocks

243rd National Meeting (2012)

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