Editing Polyketide (section)

{{Short description|Natural organic compounds derived from a [C(O)–CH2] chain}}

In [[organic chemistry]], '''polyketides''' are a class of [[natural product]]s derived from a [[Precursor (chemistry)|precursor molecule]] consisting of a [[Polymer backbone|chain]] of alternating [[ketone]] ({{chem2|>C\dO}}, or [[Carbonyl reduction|its reduced forms]]) and [[Methylene group|methylene]] ({{chem2|>CH2}}) groups: {{chem2|[\sC(\dO)\sCH2\s]_{''n''}|}}.<ref>{{GoldBookRef|title = Polyketides|file = P04734}}</ref> First studied in the early 20th century, discovery, biosynthesis, and application of polyketides has evolved. It is a large and diverse group of [[secondary metabolites]] caused by its complex biosynthesis which resembles that of [[fatty acid synthesis]]. Because of this diversity, polyketides can have various medicinal, agricultural, and industrial applications. Many polyketides are medicinal or exhibit acute toxicity. Biotechnology has enabled discovery of more naturally-occurring polyketides and evolution of new polyketides with novel or improved bioactivity.