Toward a photosynthetic microbial platform for terpenoid engineering

• Published in: Photosynthesis research Vol. 123; no. 3; pp. 265 - 284
• Main Authors: Davies, Fiona K, Jinkerson, Robert E, Posewitz, Matthew C
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dordrecht Springer-Verlag 01.03.2015; Springer Netherlands; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Alkaloids; Alkyl and Aryl Transferases - metabolism; Biochemistry; Bioengineering; Biofuels; Biological products; Biomedical and Life Sciences; biopolymers; biosynthesis; carbon; chemical structure; Cyanobacteria - metabolism; Enzymes; Escherichia coli; Functional foods; isoprene; Life Sciences; Metabolic Engineering - methods; Metabolism; Microalgae - metabolism; Microbiology; Photosynthesis; Photosynthesis - physiology; Physiological aspects; Plant Genetics and Genomics; Plant Physiology; Plant Sciences; Review; Rubber; Solar energy; Studies; synthetic biology; Terpenes - metabolism; yeasts; Terpenoid; Metabolic engineering; Terpene synthase; MEP pathway; MVA pathway; Cyanobacteria
• ISSN: 0166-8595; 1573-5079
• DOI: 10.1007/s11120-014-9979-6

Plant terpenoids are among the most diverse group of naturally-occurring organic compounds known, and several are used in contemporary consumer products. Terpene synthase enzymes catalyze complex rearrangements of carbon skeleton precursors to yield thousands of unique chemical structures that range in size from the simplest five carbon isoprene unit to the long polymers of rubber. Such chemical diversity has established plant terpenoids as valuable commodity chemicals with applications in the pharmaceutical, neutraceutical, cosmetic, and food industries. More recently, terpenoids have received attention as a renewable alternative to petroleum-derived fuels and as the building blocks of synthetic biopolymers. However, the current plant- and petrochemical-based supplies of commodity terpenoids have major limitations. Photosynthetic microorganisms provide an opportunity to generate terpenoids in a renewable manner, employing a single consolidated host organism that is able to use solar energy, H₂O and CO₂as the primary inputs for terpenoid biosynthesis. Advances in synthetic biology have seen important breakthroughs in microbial terpenoid engineering, traditionally via fermentative pathways in yeast and Escherichia coli. This review draws on the knowledge obtained from heterotrophic microbial engineering to propose strategies for the development of microbial photosynthetic platforms for industrial terpenoid production. The importance of utilizing the wealth of genetic information provided by nature to unravel the regulatory mechanisms of terpenoid biosynthesis is highlighted.