Terminal alkene and alkyne biosynthesis in microbes

Terminal alkene and alkyne are readily derivatized functionalities commonly used in chemical synthesis and bioorthogonal reactions. These functionalities are also found in various natural products, but the biosynthetic mechanisms often remain elusive.  We recently identified and characterized biosynthetic pathways in microbes leading to the generation of terminal alkene and alkyne respectively.  Particularly, a novel non-heme iron dependent decarboxylase/desaturase was revealed to convert fatty acids to terminal olefins; and fatty terminal olefins could be transformed into terminal alkynes through an unprecedented thio-templated pathway.