Antibiotics--cloning of biosynthetic pathways.

Biosynthetic pathways leading to antibiotics have often been found to be clustered, and new organizational forms of multifunctional enzymes have been discovered. Such polyenzymes accomplish the synthesis of complex metabolites such as peptides or polyketides by a sequence of enzymatic reactions. So, reactions leading to the tripeptide precursor of beta-lactam antibiotics, ACV, or to the cycloundecapeptide cyclosporine have been fused into single polypeptide chain synthetases, respectively. In certain isofunctional sites restricted similarities have been detected.