POLYKETIDES AND THEIR SYNTHESIS

摘要

The present invention provides an extended polyketide synthase gene assembly comprising a loading module and a plurality of extension modules wherein a second nucleic acid portion, encoding at least one extension module, has been inserted into a first nucleic acid portion encoding the loading module and at least one, and preferably a plurality, of extension modules. Such extended genes are useful in the production of novel macrolides of larger size than the natural product, for example 16-membered ring macrolides instead of 14membered ring macrolides.