Type II polyketide synthases (PKSs) normally synthesize polycyclic aromatic compounds in nature, and the potential to elaborate further diverse skeletons was recently revealed by the discovery of a polyene subgroup. Here, we show a type II PKS machinery for the biosynthesis of a five-membered nonaromatic skeleton contained in the nonproteinogenic amino acid cispentacin and the plant toxin coronatine. We successfully produce cispentacin in a heterologous host and reconstruct its biosynthesis using seven recombinant proteins in vitro. Biochemical analyses of each protein reveal the unique enzymatic reactions, indicating that a heterodimer of type II PKS-like enzymes (AmcF-AmcG) catalyzes a single C2 elongation as well as a subsequent cyclization on the acyl carrier protein (AmcB) to form a key intermediate with a five-membered ring. The subsequent reactions, which are catalyzed by a collection of type II PKS-like enzymes, are also peculiar. This work further expands the definition of type II PKS and illuminates an unexplored genetic resource for natural products.
© 2023. The Author(s).