Innovative Microbial Chassis for Systems and Synthetic Biology

The development of microbial chassis has revolutionized systems and synthetic biology, enabling the rational engineering of microorganisms for the biosynthesis of high-value metabolites ranging from pharmaceuticals to biofuels. This chapter systematically explores widely used and emerging microbial chassis systems, with a focus on their core biological characteristics, inherent advantages and limitations, cutting-edge advances in genetic and metabolic engineering, and real-world industrial application progress. Well-established chassis represented by Escherichia coli and Saccharomyces cerevisiae remain the gold standard mainstream platforms in both academic research and industrial production. Meanwhile, the growing global demand for sustainable, high-titer bioproduction has driven the development and application of functionally specialized industrial chassis including Bacillus subtilis and Corynebacterium glutamicum, which offer unique metabolic traits, exceptional environmental stress resistance, and broad substrate versatility. This chapter also discusses the core criteria for chassis selection, including genetic stability, industrial scalability, biosafety, and metabolic flexibility, alongside their validated applications in manufacturing a diverse array of products from bulk organic acids to complex biopharmaceuticals. By systematically comparing these chassis systems across key performance metrics, this chapter provides actionable insights into rational chassis design empowered by integrated systems and synthetic biology, to enable efficient, robust, and scalable biomanufacturing.