Cover Feature: Biochemical Characterization of β‐Amino Acid Incorporation in Fluvirucin B₂ Biosynthesis (ChemBioChem 13/2018)

The cover feature picture shows fluvirucin B2 and the origin of the nitrogen atom within its macrolactam core: l-aspartate. The selection or “loading” of l-aspartate as the starting building block in fluvirucin B2 production is mediated by a set of core enzymes that process and prime the polyketide synthase. We demonstrate the promiscuity of the loading pathway: its ability to use a range of amino acids and further illustrate its ability to load different β-amino acids selectively onto a PKS loading platform. More information can be found in the communication by J. D. Keasling et al. on page 1391 in Issue 13, 2018 (DOI: 10.1002/cbic.201800169).