3-Amino-5-hydroxybenzoic Acid Synthase, the Terminal Enzyme in the Formation of the Precursor of mC7N Units in Rifamycin and Related Antibiotics

The biosynthesis of ansamycin antibiotics, like rifamycin B, involves formation of 3-amino-5-hydroxybenzoic acid (AHBA) by a novel variant of the shikimate pathway. AHBA then serves as the starter unit for the assembly of a polyketide which eventually links back to the amino group of AHBA to form the macrolactam ring. The terminal enzyme of AHBA formation, which catalyzes the aromatization of 5-deoxy-5-amino-3-dehydroshikimic acid, has been...