The ability to incorporate atypical primer units through the use of dedicated initiation polyketide synthase (PKS) modules offers opportunities to expand molecular diversity of polyketide natural products. Here we identify the initiation PKS module responsible for hexadienyl priming of the antibiotic fredericamycin, and investigate its biochemical properties. We also exploit this PKS module for the design and in vivo biosynthesis of unusually primed analogs of a representative polyketide product, thereby emphasizing its utility to the metabolic engineer.

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SUMMARY The pentadecaketide fredericamycin has the longest carbon chain backbone among polycyclic aromatic polyketide antibiotics whose biosynthetic genes have been sequenced. This backbone is synthesized by the bimodular fdm polyketide synthase (PKS). The initiation module is thought to synthesize a C6 intermediate that is then transferred onto the elongation PKS module, which extends it into a C30 poly-β-ketoacyl product. Here we demonstrate that the bimodular fdm PKS as well as its elongation module alone synthesize undecaketides and dodecaketides. Thus, unlike other homologues, the fdm ketosynthase – chain length factor (KS-CLF) heterodimer does not exclusively control the backbone length of its natural product. Using sequence- and structure-based approaches, 48 multiple mutants of the CLF were engineered and analyzed. Unexpectedly, the I134F mutant was unable to turn over, but could initiate and at least partially elongate the polyketide chain. This unprecedented mutant suggests that the KS-CLF heterodimer harbors an as yet uncharacterized chain termination mechanism. Together, our findings reveal fundamental mechanistic differences between the fdm PKS and its well-studied homologues.