Biosynthesis of azaphilones: a review

Abstract : Azaphilones are fungal polyketide pigments bearing a highly oxygenated pyranoquinone bicyclic core which receive an increasing great deal of research interest for their applications on agroalimentary, dyeing, cosmetic, printing and pharmacy industries. Their biosynthetic pathways are not fully elucidated but thanks to recent genomic approaches combined to the increasing genome sequencing of fungi some of them have been recently unveiled. Here is the first review on the biosynthesis of azaphilonoids adressed from a genomic point of view.