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Dissection & reassembly of the naturally occurring multifunctional fatty acid synthases (FAS) and polyketide synthases (PKS)

Reference	BBS/E/F/02200629
Principal Investigator / Supervisor	Professor Michael Schweizer
Co-Investigators / Co-Supervisors
Institution	Quadram Institute Bioscience
Department	Quadram Institute Bioscience Department
Funding type	Research
Value (£)	2,000
Status	Completed
Type	Institute Project
Start date	01/04/1997
End date	30/04/1998
Duration	13 months

Abstract

Polyketide synthases (PKS), of which fatty acid synthase (FAS) is a specific example, synthesize long chain derivatives from acetate by the addition of C2-units. From the information to date it would appear that the reactions catalyzed by FAS for the production of primary metabolites and by different PKSs for secondary metabolites are essentially similar and therefore the variety of the end products synthesized is achieved by varying starter and extender units or by differentially programming the repeated synthetic cycles. Clearly, the knowledge of the PKS systems at the genetic and biochemical levels for microorganisms producing secondary metabolite is paramount for exploiting their ability to produce potentially useful secondary metabolites, eg antibiotics or other pharmaceuticals. A point not to be forgotten is that reprogramming of the FAS system may well lead to the production of industrially important fatty acids. With the existence of this Network the comparative aspects of the studies on the different PKSs would be emphasized. The aim of this Network is to augment any existing and planned cooperations by fostering an intensified exchange of scientists and information between the participating groups; for instance, to provide the opportunity for someone working on FAS/PKS in Streptomyces spp to learn about FAS/PKS in eucaryotes in a 'hands on' fashion and not just by Reading the reports from other laboratories. Ideally, this programme may also be useful for a thorough investigation into the heterologous expression of the various FAS/PKS.

Summary

unavailable

Committee	Closed Committee - Plant & Microbial Sciences (PMS)
Research Topics	X – not assigned to a current Research Topic
Research Priority	X – Research Priority information not available
Research Initiative	X - not in an Initiative
Funding Scheme	X – not Funded via a specific Funding Scheme

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