Genome mining of fungal globin-like enzymes for catalyzing the synthesis of linear terpenes

Genome mining for the search and discovery of two new globin-like enzymes, TriB from Fusarium poae and TutaA from Schizophyllum commne, are involved in the synthesis of two linear terpenes tricinonoic acid ( 1 ) and 2-butenedioic acid ( 3 ). Both in vivo heterologous biosynthesis and in vitro biochemical assays showed that these two enzymes catalyzed the C-C double bond cleavage of a cyclic sesquiterpene precursor (−)-germacrene D ( 7 ) and a linear diterpene backbone schizostain ( 2 ), respectively. Our work presents an unusual formation mechanism of linear terpenes from fungi and expands the functional skills of globin-like enzymes in the synthesis of terpene compounds.