Engineered Biosynthesis of Plant Polyketides: Manipulation of Chalcone Synthase

Chalcone synthase (CHS) is a plant-specific type III polyketide synthase catalyzing condensation of 4-coumaroyl-CoA with three molecules of malonyl-CoA. Surprisingly, it was demonstrated that S338V mutant of Scutellaria baicalensis CHS produced octaketides SEK4/SEK4b from eight molecules of malonyl-CoA. Further, the octaketides-forming activity was dramatically increased in a CHS triple mutant (T197G/G256L/S338T). The functional conversion is based on the simple steric modulation of a chemically inert residue lining the active-site cavity.