The enzymes 6-methylsalicylic acid (6-MSA) synthases (6-MSASs) are involved in the building of an aryl moiety in many bioactive secondary metabolites produced by fungi and bacteria. Using the bacterial 6-MSAS ChlB1 in the biosynthesis of spirotetronate antibiotic chlorothricin (CHL) as a model, functional analysis of its dehydratase (DH) and ketoreductase (KR) domains by site-specific mutagenesis revealed that selective ketoreduction is not essential for polyketide chain extension. Promiscuity of the ketoacylsynthase domain in beta functionality recognition allows for engineering ChlB1 to an orsellinic acid (OSA) synthase (OSAS) by inactivating KR at the active site. The engineered ChlB1 is compatible with the enzymes for late-stage tailoring in CHL biosynthesis, featuring specific protein recognitions that facilitate variable aryl group incorporation. The resulting spirotetronates, which bear an OSA-derived aryl group, exhibited antibacterial activities comparable to those of the parent products.
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