Chemistry of fungal meroterpenoid cyclases

Covering: up to July 2020 Fungal meroterpenoid cyclases are a recently discovered emerging family of membrane-integrated, non-canonical terpene cyclases. They catalyze the conversion of hybrid isoprenic precursors towards complex scaffolds and are therefore of great importance in the structure diversification in meroterpenoid biosynthesis. The products of these pathways exhibit intriguing molecular scaffolds and highly potent bioactivities, making them privileged structures from Nature and attractive candidates for drug development or industrial applications. This review will provide a comprehensive and comparative view on fungal meroterpenoid cyclases, their intriguing chemistries and importance for the scaffold formation step towards polycyclic meroterpenoid natural products.

Automated summary

Fungal meroterpenoid cyclases are a newly discovered family of membrane-integrated enzymes that catalyze the conversion of hybrid isoprenic precursors and are important for the structural diversification in polycyclic meroterpenoid biosynthesis.