Advances in the Understanding and Use of the Genomic Base of Microbial Secondary Metabolite Biosynthesis for the Discovery of New Natural Products

Over the past decade major changes have occurred in the access to genome sequences that encode the enzymes responsible for the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites, knowledge of how those sequences translate into the final structure of the metabolite, and the ability to alter the sequence to obtain predicted products via both homologous and heterologous expression. Novel genera have been discovered leading to new chemotypes, but more surprisingly several instances have been uncovered where the apparently general rules of modular translation have not applied. Several new biosynthetic pathways have been unearthed, and our general knowledge grows rapidly. This review aims to highlight some of the more striking discoveries and advances of the decade.