Overcoming barriers to medium-chain fatty alcohol production

Curr Opin Biotechnol. 2024 Feb;85:103063. doi: 10.1016/j.copbio.2023.103063. Epub 2024 Jan 13.ABSTRACTMedium-chain fatty alcohols (mcFaOHs) are aliphatic primary alcohols containing six to twelve carbons that are widely used in materials, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics. Microbial biosynthesis has been touted as a route to less-abundant chain-length molecules and as a sustainable alternative to current petrochemical processes. Several metabolic engineering strategies for producing mcFaOHs have been demonstrated in the literature, yet processes continue to suffer from poor selectivity and mcFaOH toxicity, leading to reduced titers, rates, and yields of the desired compounds. This opinion examines the current state of microbial mcFaOH biosynthesis, summarizing engineering efforts to tailor selectivity and improve product tolerance by implementing engineering strategies that circumvent or overcome mcFaOH toxicity.PMID:38219523 | DOI:10.1016/j.copbio.2023.103063
Source: Current Opinion in Biotechnology - Category: Biotechnology Authors: Source Type: research