Chalcone synthase: from discovery to biotechnological applications.

Chalcone synthase (CHS) is a key enzyme in flavonoid biosynthesis, with its structure, regulation, and engineering strategies enabling enhanced flavonoid production.

• Why it matters: Flavonoids have significant physiological and pharmacological properties, but understanding and optimizing their biosynthesis is essential for sustainable industrial and agricultural applications.
• What they did: The review summarizes current knowledge of CHS, including its structure, catalytic mechanism, evolutionary origin, regulation by transcription factors and post-translational modifications, and engineering approaches like gene-directed evolution and pathway optimization.
• The result: These insights and strategies provide a foundation for improving CHS performance in microbial and plant systems, facilitating increased flavonoid yields for practical use.