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Updated: Nov 15, 2025

A Customizable Approach for the Enzymatic Production and Purification of Diterpenoid Natural Products
Published on: October 4, 2019
The Biochemistry of Phytocannabinoids and Metabolic Engineering of Their Production in Heterologous Systems
Kaitlyn Blatt-Janmaat1, Yang Qu1,2
1Department of Chemistry, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, NB E3B 5A3, Canada.
Abstract:
The medicinal properties of cannabis and the its legal status in several countries and jurisdictions has spurred the massive growth of the cannabis economy around the globe. The value of cannabis stems from its euphoric activity offered by the unique phytocannabinoid tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). However, this is rapidly expanding beyond THC owing to other non-psychoactive phytocannabinoids with new bioactivities that will contribute to their development into clinically useful drugs. The discovery of the biosynthesis of major phytocannabinoids has allowed the exploration of their heterologous production by synthetic biology, which may lead to the industrial production of rare phytocannabinoids or novel synthetic cannabinoid pharmaceuticals that are not easily offered by cannabis plants. This review summarizes the biosynthesis of major phytocannabinoids in detail, the most recent development of their metabolic engineering in various systems, and the engineering approaches and strategies used to increase the yield.
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