Reconstitution and optimization of complex plant natural product biosynthetic pathways in microbial expression systems

• Published in: Current opinion in biotechnology Vol. 87; p. 103136
• Main Authors: Gao, Jucan, Gou, Yuanwei, Huang, Lei, Lian, Jiazhang
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 01-06-2024
• Subjects: Biological Products - metabolism; Biosynthetic Pathways - genetics; Gene Editing - methods; Metabolic Engineering - methods; Plants - genetics; Plants - metabolism; Synthetic Biology - methods
• ISSN: 0958-1669; 1879-0429; 1879-0429
• DOI: 10.1016/j.copbio.2024.103136

Plant natural products (PNPs) are a diverse group of chemical compounds synthesized by plants for various biological purposes and play a significant role in the fields of medicine, agriculture, and industry. In recent years, the development of synthetic biology promises the production of PNPs in microbial expression systems in a sustainable, low-cost, and large-scale manner. This review first introduces multiplex genome editing and PNP pathway assembly in microbial expression systems. Then recent technologies and examples geared toward improving PNP biosynthetic efficiency are discussed from three aspects: pathway optimization, chassis optimization, and modular coculture engineering. Finally, the review is concluded with future perspectives on the combination of machine learning and BioFoundry for the reconstitution and optimization of PNP microbial cell factories.
•Microbial expression systems for sustainable production of plant natural products.•Multiplex genome editing for rapid construction of complex PNP biosynthetic pathways.•Pathway engineering and chassis engineering for enhanced production of PNPs.•Coculture engineering for labor division and cooperative biosynthesis of complex PNPs.