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Updated: Mar 27, 2026

A Customizable Approach for the Enzymatic Production and Purification of Diterpenoid Natural Products
Published on: October 4, 2019
Expanding the Landscape of Diterpene Structural Diversity through Stereochemically Controlled Combinatorial
Johan Andersen-Ranberg1, Kenneth Thermann Kongstad2, Morten Thrane Nielsen1
1Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Center for Synthetic Biology, Thorvaldsensvej 40, 1871, København, Denmark.
Researchers engineered yeast to produce novel plant diterpenoids. This scalable biotechnological approach creates new-to-nature compounds for pharmaceuticals and fragrances, overcoming limitations of low natural abundance.
Area of Science:
- Biotechnology
- Synthetic Biology
- Natural Product Chemistry
Background:
- Plant-derived diterpenoids are valuable but scarce and complex.
- Limited industrial use due to low natural abundance and structural complexity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To engineer Saccharomyces cerevisiae for novel diterpenoid biosynthesis.
- To mimic plant diterpene synthase modularity for new compound discovery.
Main Methods:
- Constructed 51 combinations of class I and II diterpene synthases.
- Demonstrated stereoselective biosynthesis of over 50 diterpene skeletons.
- Achieved scalable production in engineered yeast strains.
Main Results:
- 41 new-to-nature diterpene synthase combinations were created.
- Over 50 stereoselective diterpene skeletons were synthesized.
- Scalable biotechnological production of four target compounds was achieved.
Conclusions:
- Engineered yeast can produce diverse and novel diterpenoids.
- This method overcomes natural abundance limitations for industrial applications.
- Enables production of valuable compounds for pharmaceuticals and fragrances.
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