Unique Biosynthesis of Sesquarterpenes (C35 Terpenes).

The article discusses a study on the biosynthesis of sesquarterpenes, a class of a group of unsaturated hydrocarbons called terpenes, produced by cyclization of a linear Carbon (C)₃₅ isoprenoid in the bacteria species Bacillus and Mycobacterium. It shows that a bifunctional terpene cyclase involved in the biosynthesizes of two classes of cyclic terpenes is present in Bacillus species. The study reveals bifunctional Z-prenyltransferase in Mycobacterium species.