Metabolic engineering pathways for rare sugars biosynthesis, physiological functionalities, and applications-a review | JoVE Visualize

Area of Science:

Biochemistry and Biotechnology
Carbohydrate Chemistry
Metabolic Engineering

Background:

Rare sugars are uncommon monosaccharides with diverse physiological roles and applications in cosmetics, nutrition, and pharmaceuticals.
Current chemical synthesis routes for rare sugars are economically unfeasible, while enzymatic production faces challenges like low yields and high catalyst costs.
Biosynthesis using renewable resources via microbial fermentation and metabolic engineering presents a promising alternative for industrial-scale rare sugar production.

Purpose of the Study:

To provide a comprehensive review of the physiological functions and biotechnological applications of various rare ketohexoses and aldohexoses.
To discuss novel in-vivo recombination pathways for the biosynthesis of industrially important rare sugars, such as D-psicose and D-sorbose.
To highlight the potential of robust microbial strains in the sustainable production of rare sugars.

Main Methods:

Literature review of physiological functions and biotechnological applications of rare sugars.
Analysis of novel in-vivo recombination pathways utilizing aldolase and phosphatase for rare sugar biosynthesis.
Discussion of microbial metabolic engineering strategies for enhancing rare sugar production.

Main Results:

Identified key rare sugars including D-psicose, D-tagatose, L-tagatose, D-sorbose, L-fructose, D-allose, L-glucose, D-gulose, L-talose, L-galactose, and L-fucose.
Detailed novel in-vivo recombination pathways for efficient biosynthesis of D-psicose and D-sorbose.
Highlighted the advantages of using robust microbial strains for cost-effective and sustainable rare sugar production.

Conclusions:

Rare sugars possess significant biotechnological potential, necessitating efficient and economical production methods.
Novel in-vivo biosynthesis pathways offer a viable strategy to overcome the limitations of traditional synthesis and enzymatic methods.
Microbial metabolic engineering and fermentation are crucial for the industrial-scale production of rare sugars from renewable resources.