Polyketide synthases (PKSs) are crucial multidomain enzymes in diverse natural product biosynthesis. Parrots use a type I PKS to produce a unique pigment called psittacofulvin in their feathers. In domesticated budgerigars and lovebirds, the same amino acid substitution (R644W) within malonyl/acetyltransferase (MAT) domain of this enzyme has been shown to cause the blue phenotype with no psittacofulvin pigmentation, proposing a strong evolutionary constraint on the mechanism. Here, we identified seven previously unreported variants in PKS associated with defective psittacofulvin production in four diverse species, including three nonsense mutations. Intriguingly, three of the remaining nonsynonymous substitutions reside within the ketoacyl synthase (KS) domain, whereas one at MAT domain. The heterologous expression of these PKS variants in yeast confirmed complete or partial loss of psittacofulvin production. These findings establish PKS as a functionally conserved key-enzyme determining psittacofulvin-based hues among diverse parrots, highlighting multiple conserved domains essential for the PKS function.

BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics Biodiversity and Land Planning CIBIO Vairão Portugal

CIBIO Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos InBIO Universidade do Porto Vairão Portugal

Department of Food Science Faculty of Agrobiology Food and Natural Resources Prague 6 Czechia

Department of Life Sciences Ben Gurion University of the Negev Beer Sheva Israel

Department of Life Sciences University of Coimbra MARE Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre Coimbra Portugal

Department of Philosophy and History of Science Faculty of Science Charles University Prague 2 Czechia

Institute of Experimental Botany AS CR Prague Czechia

ST Lab Hashita 240 Sede Tzvi Israel

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