Decoding Substrate Specificities in Microalgal and Bacterial DHA Synthases

Rapid Summary

• The Proceedings of the National academy of Sciences, Volume 122, Issue 12 (March 2025), highlights research on Highly reducing Iterative Polyketide Synthases (HR-iPKSs).
• HR-iPKSs are enzyme complexes with multiple catalytic domains capable of biosynthesizing structurally diverse polyketide products.
• The key feature of HR-iPKSs is their ability to utilize a single set of catalytic machinery iteratively for complex biosynthesis processes.

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Indian Opinion Analysis
The study on HR-iPKSs underscores significant advancements in biochemistry, notably regarding enzymes responsible for producing diverse polyketides-a class of compounds with applications ranging from pharmaceuticals to agriculture. For India,which has a thriving biotechnology sector and growing pharmaceutical industry,this research could have long-term implications in reducing drug progress costs and enhancing innovation capabilities. Neutral observation suggests that further exploration or adoption by Indian scientists and industries could catalyze more efficient production processes for high-value compounds beneficial in medicine or crop protection.