Developing the E. coli platform for efficient production of UMP-derived chemicals.

Area of Science:

• Synthetic biology
• Metabolic engineering
• Biocatalysis

Background:

• 5-Methyluridine (5-MU) is a crucial intermediate for antiviral drug synthesis.
• Current production relies on chemical and enzymatic methods, limiting scalability.
• Efficient and sustainable production of 5-MU is highly desirable.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish an efficient microbial production system for 5-Methyluridine (5-MU) in E. coli.
• To engineer an E. coli cell factory for enhanced 5-MU yields.
• To develop a versatile platform for producing UMP-derived chemicals.

Main Methods:

• Designed and implemented a synthetic two-enzyme cascade (UMP 5-methylase and phosphatase) in E. coli.
• Employed metabolic engineering strategies to optimize 5-MU production.
• Developed an antibiotic-free fermentation process for large-scale production.

Main Results:

• Achieved efficient production of 5-MU in engineered E. coli.
• Demonstrated high 5-MU yield (10.71 g/L) using an antibiotic-free fermentation strategy.
• Established a robust platform for producing diverse UMP-derived chemicals.

Conclusions:

• Engineered E. coli serves as an effective cell factory for 5-MU production.
• The developed platform enables sustainable and scalable access to UMP-derived compounds.
• This work advances synthetic biology applications in chemical manufacturing.