A rapid combinatorial assembly method for gene cluster characterisation illuminates glidobactin biosynthesis.

ABSTRACT: Heterologous expression of natural product gene clusters in tractable hosts offers great promise for achieving sustainable production of nature-inspired drugs. However, it is common for the roles of some genes in a cluster to be unclear, and this can make it difficult to identify the minimal gene set required to produce the desired molecule. Typically, the function of unknown genes is inferred by time-consuming reductionist techniques, e.g. single and multiple gene knockouts in the native producer, followed by phenotype analysis. Here, we instead present a rapid combinatorial method to assemble individual genes involved in glidobactin biosynthesis into a collection of partial or complete clusters in a heterologous host. Following up with mass spectrometry allowed identification of the mini

SUBMITTER: Calcott MJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12492648 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature