Heterologous expression systems for polyketide synthases

Abstract

Polyketide synthases are the main biochemical machinery for the production of a structurally diverse group of natural products, polyketides. Their heterologous expression enables overproduction of target compounds, generation of novel analogs, and provides a basic understanding of their reaction programs. This Highlight outlines the current state of heterologous expression of type I, type II, and type III polyketide synthases of microbial and plant origins.