Engineered Polyketide Synthases for Production of Commodity and Specialty Chemicals

Engineered modular polyketide synthases (PKSs) have the potential to be an extraordinarily effective platform for synthesis of commodity and specialty chemicals as well as biofuels. We have engineered PKSs to produce a variety of molecules, including diacids, hydroxyacids, biofuels and fragrances. In my talk, I will highlight our work on engineering hybrid PKSs to produce these products. In addition, I will discuss our work to develop tools to engineer Streptomyces venezuelae and other Streptomycetes to better control expression of these hybrid PKSs in order to maximize production of the desired final product.