Unusual "Head-to-Torso" Coupling of Terpene Precursors as a New Strategy for the Structural Diversification of Natural Products.

摘要: Abstract Terpenoids are ubiquitous in nature and exhibit an immense structural diversity. Commonly, terpenoid biosynthesis involves prenyl diphosphate synthases (terpene synthases) that produce linear diphosphates with various chain lengths via conventional “head-to-tail” coupling of C5 units. Structural diversification, contrast, is often mediated by terpene cyclases additional tailoring enzymes. Recently, however, a few unusual were reported catalyze noncanonical “head-to-torso” reactions thus formation branched such as isosesquilavandulyl diphosphate. Here, I describe these enzymes detail illustrate how branching key to structurally distinct natural products the complex polycyclic merochlorin antibiotics from marine bacterium.