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A Customizable Approach for the Enzymatic Production and Purification of Diterpenoid Natural Products
Published on: October 4, 2019
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Artificial multi-enzyme cascades for natural product synthesis
1Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, National University of Singapore, 4 Engineering Drive 4, Singapore 117585, Singapore.
Current Opinion in Biotechnology
|October 29, 2022
Summary
Artificial multi-enzyme cascades offer sustainable synthesis routes for valuable natural molecules. Recent advancements focus on designing enzyme combinations for diverse compound production, improving efficiency through protein engineering and cofactor regeneration.
Area of Science:
- Biocatalysis and Synthetic Biology
- Sustainable Chemistry
- Metabolic Engineering
Background:
- Artificial multi-enzyme cascades are emerging as powerful tools for sustainable chemical synthesis.
- These cascades enable the production of valuable natural molecules, including alcohols, acids, esters, and alkaloids.
- Recent research has focused on developing novel cascades from readily available natural substrates and simple chemicals.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review and highlight recent developments in artificial multi-enzyme cascades for natural product synthesis.
- To discuss strategies for designing and constructing these cascades, including retro-synthesis approaches.
- To explore methods for optimizing cascade performance, such as in vitro cofactor regeneration and protein engineering.
Main Methods:
- Enzyme discovery and design using retro-synthesis strategies.
- Construction of multi-enzyme cascades by combining individual enzymes.
- Implementation of in vitro cascade systems with cofactor regeneration modules.
- Application of protein engineering to enhance enzyme performance within cascades.
Main Results:
- Development of numerous new artificial cascades over the past two years.
- Successful synthesis of a wide range of natural molecules, including alcohols, acids, esters, amino compounds, fatty acid derivatives, alkaloids, terpenoids, terpenes, and monosaccharides.
- Demonstration of effective cofactor regeneration strategies for in vitro cascade operation.
- Improvement of enzyme efficiency and cascade performance through protein engineering.
Conclusions:
- Artificial multi-enzyme cascades represent a significant advancement in sustainable synthesis of natural molecules.
- The combination of retro-synthesis design, enzyme engineering, and optimized reaction conditions drives innovation in this field.
- Continued research in this area promises more efficient and environmentally friendly production of valuable compounds.
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