1. A type of organic compound synthesized by polyketide synthase enzymes, consisting of a chain of acetyl or propionyl units linked together; commonly found in antibiotics, antifungals, and other bioactive natural products.
Usage: technical; biochemistry; organic chemistry

Examples

• Erythromycin is a polyketide antibiotic produced by Streptomyces bacteria.
• Polyketides are important secondary metabolites in many microorganisms.
• The structure of polyketides can be modified through genetic engineering to create new drugs.
• Researchers study polyketide synthase to understand how nature builds complex molecules.
• Many clinically useful antibiotics, such as tetracycline, are polyketides or polyketide-derived compounds.