An unusual family of bifunctional terpene synthases has been identified in which a prenyltransferase assembles 5-carbon precursors to form C20 geranylgeranyl diphosphate (GGPP), which is then converted into a polycyclic product by a cyclase. Here, the authors report the cryoEM structure of a 495-kD bifunctional terpene synthase, variediene synthase from Emericella variecolor, in which GGPP is not channeled intramolecularly, but can be channeled intermolecularly to a non-native cyclase.
- Eliott S. Wenger
- David W. Christianson
