Substrate‐Multiplexed Assessment of Aromatic Prenyltransferase Activity

An increasingly effective strategy to identify synthetically useful enzymes is to sample the diversity already present in Nature. Here, we construct and assay a panel of phylogenetically diverse aromatic prenyltransferases (PTs). These enzymes catalyze a variety of C−C bond forming reactions in natural product biosynthesis and are emerging as tools for synthetic chemistry and biology. Homolog screening was further empowered through substrate‐multiplexed screening, which provides direct information on enzyme specificity. We perform a head‐to‐head assessment of the model members of the PT family and further identify homologs with divergent sequences that rival these superb enzymes. This effort revealed the first bacterial O−Tyr PT and, together, provide valuable benchmarking for future synthetic applications of PTs. Substrate promiscuity of a panel of diverse aromatic prenyltransferases is assessed through a rapid substrate‐multiplexed screen. PriB is identified as a remarkably promiscuous enzyme relative to other well‐studied prenyltransferases. We further identify a new thermostable prenyltransferase with high activity that is suitable for future biocatalytic applications.