J. Staunton

TL;DR: A cassette system for convenient construction of hybrid modular PKSs based on the tylosin PKS in Streptomyces fradiae is described and its use in domain and module swaps is demonstrated.

TL;DR: The sequencing of the genes for the biosynthesis of monensin A, a typical polyether ionophore polyketide, provided the first genetic evidence for the mechanism of oxidative cyclisation through which polyethers such as monens in are formed from the uncyclised products of the PKS.

TL;DR: These results demonstrate that, as predicted, even a single-module PKS is catalytically active in the absence of other DEBS proteins, and indicates how targeted alteration of stereospecificity can be achieved on a modular PKS.

TL;DR: Electrospray mass spectrometry was used to confirm that the recombinant S. erythraea acyl-carrier protein over-expressed in E. coli can be selectively released from the cells in near-quantitative yield by a single cycle of freezing and thawing in a neutral buffer.

TL;DR: It is proposed that during macrolactone biosynthesis a different set of activities is requid to cany out each of the six cycles of chain extension and (where appropriate) reduction, with each polypeptide housing the activities necessary for 2 cycles of polyketide chain extension.