Toward a unified pipeline for natural product discovery: tools and strategies for NRPS and PKS pathway exploration and engineering

Abstract

Covering: up to 2025.

Non-ribosomal peptide synthetases and polyketide synthases are modular biosynthetic systems that produce structurally diverse and pharmacologically potent natural products, including antibiotics, immunosuppressants, and anticancer agents. Their programmable architecture has long inspired efforts in biosynthetic re-engineering. This review highlights recent advances that are transforming non-ribosomal peptide synthetase and polyketide synthase systems into versatile platforms for rational design. We discuss progress in genome mining, high-throughput screening, and dereplication, alongside emerging tools from synthetic biology and computational modeling. Particular focus is given to structure-based approaches—such as homology modeling, molecular docking, and molecular dynamics simulations—as well as deep learning strategies for enzyme prediction and design. Rather than replacing classical techniques, these computational methods now complement and extend them, enabling accelerating the discovery and assembly of tailor-made natural product analogs.