Protein structures of plant polyketide synthases that use benzoyl-CoA as substrate
What is it about?
Plants make a variety of chemicals to protect themselves from microbes. We analyzed the three dimensional shapes of proteins involved in converting benzoic acid derived compounds into chemicals that apples and other plants use to protect themselves from bacteria and fungi.
Why is it important?
Our findings show that the active sites of plant polyketide synthases involved in converting benzoic acid derived chemicals into antimicrobial metabolites have an unusual shape. Additionally, these plant polyketide synthases have amino acids in their active sites that interact favorably with benzoyl-CoA. The unique features of these benzoic acid-specific plant polyketide synthases help us further our understanding of the interplay between structure and function in plant polyketide synthases.