Meroterpenoid natural products fromStreptomycesbacteria - the evolution of chemoenzymatic syntheses

Covering: Up to January 2020 Meroterpenoids derived from the polyketide 1,3,6,8-tetrahydroxynaphthalene (THN) are complex natural products produced exclusively byStreptomycesbacteria. These antibacterial compounds include the napyradiomycins, merochlorins, marinones, and furaquinocins and have inspired many attempts at their chemical synthesis. In this review, we highlight the role played by biosynthetic studies in the stimulation of biomimetic and, ultimately, chemoenzymatic total syntheses of these natural products. In particular, the application of genome mining techniques to marineStreptomycesbacteria led to the discovery of unique prenyltransferase and vanadium-dependent haloperoxidase enzymes that can be used as highly selective biocatalysts in fully enzymatic total syntheses, thus overcoming the limitations of purely chemical reagents.