Recent Advances in Developing Artificial Autotrophic Microorganism for Reinforcing CO₂ Fixation

Area of Science:

• Biotechnology
• Synthetic Biology
• Metabolic Engineering

Background:

• Natural autotrophic organisms exhibit limitations in carbon fixation efficiency and growth rates for industrial applications.
• Heterotrophic microorganisms offer potential as chassis for biofuel and chemical production due to their robust metabolic capabilities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review natural carbon dioxide (CO2) fixation pathways.
• To highlight advancements in engineering artificial CO2 fixation pathways.
• To discuss the development of artificial autotrophy in microbial cell factories for sustainable production.

Main Methods:

• Summarization of six naturally occurring CO2 fixation pathways.
• Analysis of recent progress in designing artificial CO2 fixation pathways.
• Exploration of synthetic biology tools for transforming heterotrophic into hemiautotrophic and fully autotrophic microorganisms.

Main Results:

• Artificial autotrophy has significantly advanced, providing a foundation for efficient carbon fixation cell factories.
• The review details the progression from natural pathways to engineered systems for enhanced CO2 utilization.
• Key strategies discussed include pathway design, host selection, and metabolic engineering.

Conclusions:

• Artificial autotrophic microbial cell factories show great promise for carbon sequestration, emission reduction, and cleaner production.
• Further improvements are needed in CO2 fixation pathways, reducing power supply, compartmentalization, and host selection for large-scale applications.
• Continued research in synthetic biology is crucial for optimizing these cell factories for industrial viability.