Creating novel metabolic pathways by protein engineering for bioproduction.

Area of Science:

• Metabolic Engineering
• Synthetic Biology
• Biocatalysis

Background:

• Cell biofactories produce natural products via metabolic engineering, relying on enzymes.
• Natural enzymes have limitations in substrate scope and reaction mechanisms.
• Enzyme engineering has expanded capabilities but often limited to in vitro use.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review progress in engineering enzymes for non-native substrates or new mechanisms.
• To highlight successful in vivo applications of engineered enzymes.
• To bridge the gap between in vitro and in vivo biocatalysis.

Main Methods:

• Engineering enzymes to accept non-native substrates.
• Designing enzymes with new-to-nature catalytic mechanisms.
• Implementing engineered enzymes within living cell systems.

Main Results:

• Engineered enzymes have been successfully applied in living cells.
• Novel metabolic pathways have been created using these engineered enzymes.
• Expansion of biocatalysis scope beyond natural enzyme limitations.

Conclusions:

• Enzyme engineering is crucial for advancing cell biofactories.
• Successful in vivo application of engineered enzymes enables novel pathway construction.
• This work paves the way for broader applications of synthetic biology.