Abstract
Recent progress in genomic DNA sequencing technology has provided rapid access to the biosynthetic genes of the bioactive secondary metabolites found in plants and microorganisms. In addition, a methodology to rationally decipher the substrate structure and biosynthetic pathway from genomic data based on chemical structures and bioinformatics on natural product biosynthesis has been developed. Using these tools and technology, reconstitution of biosynthetic machinery (a set of biosynthetic enzymes) in an appropriate host cell allows us to synthesize various type of natural products. In this review, we briefly explain mechanism of key skeletal construction enzymes for typical natural products and introduce recent results on the enzymatic total synthesis of representative natural products, such as polyketides, terpenes, peptides and alkaloids.
