Methylerythritol phosphate pathway of isoprenoid biosynthesis

Area of Science:

• Biochemistry
• Metabolic Engineering
• Natural Product Synthesis

Background:

• Isoprenoids are a diverse class of natural products with over 55,000 known members.
• Their biosynthesis originates from two key precursors: isopentenyl diphosphate and dimethylallyl diphosphate.
• Recent years have seen major advancements with the discovery of the methylerythritol phosphate (MEP) pathway and modified mevalonic acid (MVA) pathways.

Purpose of the Study:

• To summarize mechanistic insights into the enzymes of the methylerythritol phosphate (MEP) pathway.
• To review recent progress in synthetic biology approaches utilizing both MVA and MEP pathways.
• To illustrate the production of high-value isoprenoids like artemisinic acid and taxadien-5α-ol via microbial fermentation.

Main Methods:

• Review of mechanistic studies on MEP pathway enzymes.
• Analysis of synthetic biology strategies applied to MVA and MEP pathways.
• Examination of microbial fermentation processes for isoprenoid production.

Main Results:

• Elucidation of key mechanistic details for MEP pathway enzymes.
• Demonstration of successful artemisinic acid and taxadien-5α-ol production through engineered microbial systems.
• Advancements in harnessing both MVA and MEP pathways for biotechnological applications.

Conclusions:

• The MEP pathway is crucial for understanding isoprenoid diversity.
• Synthetic biology approaches leveraging MVA and MEP pathways offer powerful tools for natural product synthesis.
• Microbial fermentation presents a viable strategy for the commercial production of important isoprenoids.