Journal of the American Chemical Society, Vol.133, No.25, 9734-9737, 2011
Sesquarterpenes (C-35 Terpenes) Biosynthesized via the Cyclization of a Linear C-35 Isoprenoid by a Tetraprenyl-beta-curcumene Synthase and a Tetraprenyl-beta-curcumene Cyclase: Identification of a New Terpene Cyclase
In this study, mono- and pentacyclic C-35 terpenes from Bacillus subtilis were biosynthesized via the cydization of C-35 isoprenoid using purified enzymes, including the first identified new terpene cydase that shows no sequence homology to any of the known terpene cyclases. On the basis of these findings, we propose that these C-35 terpenes should be called the new family of "sesquarterpenes."