Solving a furan fatty acid biosynthesis puzzle.

Xiao-Hong Yu, John Shanklin

The Journal of biological chemistry 2020 Jul 17

filter terms:

Furan fatty acids (FuFAs), characterized by a central furan moiety, are widely dispersed in nature, but their biosynthetic origins are not clear. A new study from Lemke et al employs a full court press of genetics, genomics, biochemical, and advanced analytical techniques to dissect the biosynthetic pathway of mono- and dimethyl FuFAs and their intermediates in two related bacteria. These findings lay the foundation both for detailed study of these novel enzymes and for gaining further insights into FuFA functions. © 2020 Yu and Shanklin.