Metabolic Engineering for Squalene Production: Advances and Perspectives

Area of Science:

• Biotechnology
• Metabolic Engineering
• Microbial Production

Background:

• Squalene, a triterpene, possesses anticancer, antioxidant, and skin-care properties.
• It is widely utilized in food, medicine, and cosmetics, and is a precursor for steroids.
• Microbial production of squalene is gaining traction due to its sustainability and efficiency.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review recent advancements in microbial squalene production.
• To highlight key metabolic engineering strategies for enhancing squalene yield.
• To explore prospective regulatory approaches for terpenoid production.

Main Methods:

• Biosynthetic pathway engineering
• Precursor and cofactor manipulation
• Organelle engineering
• Regulation of lipid synthesis
• Transcription factor identification and manipulation
• Dynamic metabolic pathway regulation
• Secretion engineering

Main Results:

• Review of current developments in microbial squalene production, with a focus on yeast.
• Detailed discussion of established and novel metabolic engineering techniques.
• Exploration of advanced strategies for optimizing squalene biosynthesis and secretion.

Conclusions:

• Microbial cell factories provide a sustainable route for squalene production.
• Advanced metabolic engineering and regulatory approaches can significantly improve squalene yield.
• This review offers insights for future metabolic engineering of squalene and related terpenoids.