Microbial biosynthesis of stilbenoids: A comprehensive review

Area of Science:

• Biotechnology
• Metabolic Engineering
• Synthetic Biology

Background:

• Stilbenoids are plant polyphenols with significant pharmacological benefits, driving market demand.
• Traditional extraction and synthesis methods for stilbenoids face limitations like low yield and environmental impact.
• Microbial biosynthesis presents a sustainable and efficient alternative for stilbenoid production.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review recent advancements in microbial production of stilbenoids.
• To summarize production milestones and challenges in microbial stilbenoid synthesis.
• To propose future directions for enhancing microbial stilbenoid manufacturing.

Main Methods:

• Comprehensive literature review of microbial biosynthesis strategies.
• Analysis of metabolic engineering, pathway optimization, and enzyme engineering approaches.
• Evaluation of host chassis development for stilbenoid production.

Main Results:

• Key stilbenes like resveratrol and pterostilbene have achieved significant production milestones via microbial routes.
• Challenges include limitations in stilbene synthase catalysis, metabolic flux, and enzymatic post-modification toolkits.
• Current synthetic capabilities and bottlenecks in microbial stilbenoid production are summarized.

Conclusions:

• Microbial biosynthesis is a promising eco-friendly approach for stilbenoid production.
• Overcoming catalytic and metabolic limitations is crucial for improving efficiency.
• Integrating AI-assisted enzyme design and systematic metabolic engineering will enable robust microbial cell factories for diverse stilbenoid production.