Identification and characterization of bifunctional fungal terpene synthases Jaclyn Winter University of Utah, USA Terpenes are the largest class of natural products and are produced by all kingdoms of life. The enormous structural diversity observed with this class of natural products often originates from dedicated terpene synthases. In fungi, even though condensation and cyclization reactions occur independently, there are several chimeric bifunctional fungal terpene synthases that catalyze both chain elongation and cyclization reactions from simple C5 universal hemiterpene precursors. Depending on the strategy for initial carbocation formation, terpene synthases are usually categorized as either type I or type II cyclases. In contrast to type II cyclases, type I terpene cyclases produce a larger variety of compounds. However, only a limited number of fungal type I cyclases have been functionally characterized. These unknown products thus hold considerable promise for the discovery of new structurally complex compounds that can enhance the chemical space of terpene natural products. Following de novo genome sequencing and assembly of marine-derived fungal strains, genome mining was used to identify terpene biosynthetic clusters. Heterologous expression of a type I synthase from Fusarium equiseti CNC-477 allowed for the characterization of the cyclopent[ e ]-s-indacene ring formation observed in the mangicols, rare sesterterpene polyols containing an unprecedented spirotricyclic core and possess remarkable anti-inflammatory activity. The identification of additional type I diterpene and sesterterpene bifunctional fungal terpene synthases, development of alternative platforms for the heterologous production of terpenes, and the biochemical characterization of a new type I diterpene scaffold will be presented.
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