A polyketide synthase catalyzes the last condensation step of mycolic acid biosynthesis in mycobacteria and related organisms.

ABSTRACT: Mycolic acids are major and specific constituents of the cell envelope of Corynebacterineae, a suborder of bacterial species including several important human pathogens such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Mycobacterium leprae, or Corynebacterium diphtheriae. These long-chain fatty acids are involved in the unusual architecture and impermeability of the cell envelope of these bacteria. The condensase, the enzyme responsible for the final condensation step in mycolic acid biosynthesis, has remained an enigma for decades. By in silico analysis of various mycobacterial genomes, we identified a candidate enzyme, Pks13, that contains the four catalytic domains required for the condensation reaction. Orthologs of this enzyme were found in other Corynebacterineae species. A Corynebacterium glutami

SUBMITTER: Portevin D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC314182 | biostudies-literature | 2004 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature