Genome Mining Reveals Widespread Catalytic Modes and Chemical Diversity of Bacterial UbiA-Type Terpene Synthases

Abstract

Bacterial UbiA prenyltransferases, known for their primary metabolism, are revealed as versatile terpene synthases (TSs) through genome mining. These enzymes operate in two modes: autonomous cyclization to produce structurally diverse terpenes, including unprecedented diterpenes and the first bacterial UbiA-derived sesquiterpenes; and cooperation with type II TSs to replace canonical type I enzymes. Downstream tailoring further diversifies UbiA-derived scaffolds. This work provides a genomic framework for the terpenoid discovery.