Biosynthesis of Enediyne Natural Products

Abstract

Biosynthetic studies of the enediyne natural products have made tremendous progress over the last 20years, driven by rapid advances in DNA sequencing technologies and access to high-quality microbial genomes. Identification of enediyne biosynthetic gene clusters has highlighted the abundance of enediyne natural products in nature and led to the discovery of novel chemistry, enzymology, biology, and medicine, some of which are unique to the enediyne family while others share with other classes of natural products. Despite significant progress within this field, biosynthesis of the enediyne core remains elusive, and rapid translation of the predicted enediyne biosynthetic gene clusters into structurally and biologically characterized enediyne natural products faces many challenges. Emerging tools and technologies are likely to play prominent roles in the upcoming years to further advance our understanding of enediyne discovery, biosynthesis, engineering, structural diversity, and drug discovery.