Biosynthesis of the microtubule-destabilizing diterpene pseudolaric acid B from golden larch involves an unusual diterpene synthase

Significance Diterpenes play important roles in plant biology and serve as industrial bioproducts and therapeutics, including the anticancer drug Taxol. Enzymes of the diterpene synthase family produce the many core structural scaffolds that form the foundation of the large diversity of biologically active diterpenes. This paper describes the identification and the mechanism of a distinct diterpene synthase, pseudolaratriene synthase, from the golden larch tree, Pseudolarix amabilis . The enzyme catalyzes the first committed reaction in the biosynthesis of pseudolaric acids, complex diterpenes with potential anticancer activity.