6-methylsalicylic-acid synthase

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

6-methylsalicylic acid synthase (MSAS) is a polyketide synthase enzyme that makes 6-methylsalicylic acid, a building block used to create other natural products. It uses acetyl-CoA and malonyl-CoA as starting materials, along with NADPH and a proton, and produces 6-methylsalicylate, CoA, CO2, NADP+, and H2O. The enzyme belongs to the transferase family, specifically acyltransferases that move acyl groups. Its systematic name is acyl-CoA:malonyl-CoA C-acyltransferase (decarboxylating, oxoacyl-reducing, thioester-hydrolysing and cyclizing). It is also known as MSAS or 6-methylsalicylic acid synthase.