Elucidation of the Herbicidin Tailoring Pathway Offers Insights into Its Structural Diversity

The biosynthetic gene clusters for herbicidins (hbc) and aureonuclemycin (anm) were identified in Streptomyces sp. KIB-027 and Streptomyces aureus, respectively. The roles of genes possibly involved in post-core-assembly steps in herbicidin biosynthesis in these clusters and a related her cluster were studied. Through systematic gene deletions, structural elucidation of the accumulated intermediates in the mutants, and in vitro verification of the encoded enzymes, the peripheral modification pathway for herbicidin biosynthesis is now fully established.