Prof. SUN Yuhui from Wuhan University visited IHB on April 12, 2023. (Credit: IHB)

Prof. SUN Yuhui from Wuhan University visited the Institute of Hydrobiology (IHB) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences on April 12, 2023. During his visit, he delivered a lecture titled "New Discoveries in the Nonlinear Catalytic Mechanism of Polyketide Synthase."    

Polyketides are a kind of important natural products produced by continuous condensation reactions of bacteria, fungi and plants in nature. Due to the diversity in their structures and biological activities, they have been widely applied in medicine, animal husbandry and agriculture and provided support for human health and economic industries. PKS plays a core role in catalyzing the diverse polyketides biosynthesis.   

In the lecture, Prof. Sun systematically discussed the linear catalytic model of polyketide synthases (PKS), with a particular emphasis on the significant progress his team has made in unraveling the double bond reduction of the polyketide chain in PKS domain that could be achieved by a novel cross-module “borrowing” method.  

Prof. Sun’s research interests focus on discovery and exploration of biosynthetic mechanism of microbial natural products with pharmaceutical value, creation and improvement of microbial drugs based on synthetic biology, establishment and development of molecular tools or approaches for genome engineering.   

Sun has published over 60 research papers in domestic and international academic journals. He has led several key projects, including the National Key Research and Development Program, Key International (Regional) Cooperation Projects of the National Natural Science Foundation, and the Overseas Distinguished Teacher Program of the Ministry of Education.