Recent Progress on Systems and Synthetic Biology Approaches to Engineer Fungi As Microbial Cell Factories

Insecurity in the supply of fossil fuels, volatile fuel prices, and major concerns regarding climate change have sparked renewed interest in the production of fuels from renewable resources. Because of this, the use of biodiesel has grown dramatically during the last few years and is expected to increase even further in the future. Biodiesel production through the use of microbial systems has marked a turning point in the field of biofuels since it is emerging as an attractive alternative to conventional technology. Recent progress in synthetic biology has accelerated the ability to analyze, construct, and/or redesign microbial metabolic pathways with unprecedented precision, in order to permit biofuel production that is amenable to industrial applications. The review presented here focuses specifically on the role of synthetic biology in the design of microbial cell factories for efficient production of biodiesel.

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Progress in heterologous biosynthesis of forskolin

Journal of Industrial Microbiology & Biotechnology ◽

10.1093/jimb/kuab009 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Haiyan Ju ◽

Chuanbo Zhang ◽

Wenyu Lu

Keyword(s):

Natural Products ◽

Recent Progress ◽

Microbial Cell ◽

Coleus Forskohlii ◽

Heterologous Biosynthesis ◽

Microbial Cell Factories ◽

Cell Factories ◽

Biological Technology ◽

Medicinal Value ◽

Biological Methods

Abstract Forskolin, a class of labdane-type diterpenoid, has significant medicinal value in anticancer, antiasthmatic, antihypertensive, and heart-strengthening treatments. The main source of natural forskolin is its extraction from the cork tissue of the root of Coleus forskohlii. However, conventional modes of extraction pose several challenges. In recent years, the construction of microbial cell factories to produce medicinal natural products via synthetic biological methods has effectively solved the current problems and is a research hotspot in this field. This review summarizes the recent progress in the heterologous synthesis of forskolin via synthetic biological technology, analyzes the current challenges, and proposes corresponding strategies.

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Synthetic Biology Approaches to Engineer Saccharomyces cerevisiae towards the Industrial Production of Valuable Polyphenolic Compounds

Life ◽

10.3390/life10050056 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (5) ◽

pp. 56 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

João Rainha ◽

Daniela Gomes ◽

Lígia R. Rodrigues ◽

Joana L. Rodrigues

Keyword(s):

Saccharomyces Cerevisiae ◽

Synthetic Biology ◽

Plant Secondary Metabolites ◽

Genetically Engineered ◽

Microbial Cell ◽

Bioactive Molecules ◽

Microbial Cell Factories ◽

Cell Factories ◽

Increasing Demand ◽

Engineered Saccharomyces Cerevisiae

Polyphenols are plant secondary metabolites with diverse biological and potential therapeutic activities such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anticancer, among others. However, their extraction from the native plants is not enough to satisfy the increasing demand for this type of compounds. The development of microbial cell factories to effectively produce polyphenols may represent the most attractive solution to overcome this limitation and produce high amounts of these bioactive molecules. With the advances in the synthetic biology field, the development of efficient microbial cell factories has become easier, largely due to the development of the molecular biology techniques and by the identification of novel isoenzymes in plants or simpler organisms to construct the heterologous pathways. Furthermore, efforts have been made to make the process more profitable through improvements in the host chassis. In this review, advances in the production of polyphenols by genetically engineered Saccharomyces cerevisiae as well as by synthetic biology and metabolic engineering approaches to improve the production of these compounds at industrial settings are discussed.

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Microbial cell factories: a biotechnology journey across species

Essays in Biochemistry ◽

10.1042/ebc20210037 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 65 (2) ◽

pp. 143-145

Author(s):

Pablo I. Nikel ◽

Diethard Mattanovich

Keyword(s):

Metabolic Engineering ◽

Synthetic Biology ◽

First Generation ◽

Microbial Cell ◽

New Host ◽

Microbial Cell Factories ◽

Cell Factories ◽

Current State ◽

Modern Biotechnology ◽

Huge Variety

Abstract An increasingly large number of microbial species with potential for synthetic biology and metabolic engineering has been introduced over the last few years, adding huge variety to the opportunities of biotechnology. Historically, however, only a handful of microbes have attained the acceptance and widespread use that are needed to fulfil the needs of industrial bioproduction. Synthetic biology is setting out to standardise the methods, parts and platform organisms for bioproduction. These platform organisms, or chassis cells, derive from what has been termed microbial cell factories since the 1990s. In this collection of reviews, 18 microbial cell factories are featured, which belong to one of these three groups: (i) microbes already used before modern biotechnology was introduced; (ii) the first generation of engineered microbes; and (iii) promising new host organisms. The reviews are intended to provide readers with an overview of the current state of methodology and application of these cell factories, and with guidelines of how to use them for bioproduction.

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