[Advance in fungal diterpene cyclase--a review].

Diterpenoid is a huge group of nature products isolated from plants and fungi. Diterpene cyclase, which is responsible for the diterpene carbon skeleton formation from geranylgeranyl diphosphate (GGPP), is a key enzyme in the biosynthetic pathway of diterpene. The specificity of diterpene cyclase in different species results in structural diversity and bioactivity variety of diterpenoid. Isolation and characterization of the diterpene cyclase in various species will facilitate studies on the biosynthesis and regulation of diterpenoid in future. Compared to plant diterpenoids, few fungal diterpenoid and diterpene cyclase were studied. This article reviews the research advancement of fungal diterpene cyclase in recent years, especially describes the biosynthesis pathway of diterpenoid, the characteristics and cloning strategies of fungal diterpene cyclase, and the metabolic engineering of diterpenoid.