All these things considered, a proposed biosynthetic pathway for brevetoxin class compounds begins with a traditional polyketide synthesis that has the potential to incorporate larger carbon units originating from acetate modified by the citric acid cycle. After the carbon backbone is synthesized, oxidation produces the necessary epoxides that lead to the closure of the multi-ring system. It is unclear if methyl groups as seen in BTX-B are added after cyclization or during the modification of the polyketide metabolites, but it is clear that methyl groups can originate from sources outside of acetate, such as S-adenosylmethionine.