Paclitaxel(Taxol)stands out as a tetracyclic diterpenoid natural product derived from the endangered plant Taxus.Recognized as a pivotal broad-spectrum anticancer drug,it has garnered widespread attention due to its l...Paclitaxel(Taxol)stands out as a tetracyclic diterpenoid natural product derived from the endangered plant Taxus.Recognized as a pivotal broad-spectrum anticancer drug,it has garnered widespread attention due to its low yield,intricate structure,unique anticancer mechanism,and remarkable efficacy(Tong et al.,2021).Although chemists achieved the total synthesis of paclitaxel 30 years ago,after decades of research,the natural biosynthetic pathway for its production remains an enigma(Ajikumar et al.,2010;Malci et al.,2023).A recent breakthrough,published in Molecular Plant by Alisdair R.Fernie's team,unveils a minimal gene set of 18 genes required for paclitaxel biosynthesis(Zhang et al.,2023),representing a significant mark toward unraveling the entire biosynthetic pathway and enhancing paclitaxel production efficiency.展开更多
Taxus,commonly known as yew,is a well-known gymnosperm with great ornamental and medicinal value.In this study,by assembling a chromosome-level genome of the Himalayan yew(Taxus wallichiana)with 10.9 Gb in 12 chromoso...Taxus,commonly known as yew,is a well-known gymnosperm with great ornamental and medicinal value.In this study,by assembling a chromosome-level genome of the Himalayan yew(Taxus wallichiana)with 10.9 Gb in 12 chromosomes,we revealed that tandem duplication acts as the driving force of gene family evolution in the yew genome,resulting in the main genes for paclitaxel biosynthesis,i.e.those encoding the taxadiene synthase,P450s,and transferases,being clustered on the same chromosome.The tandem duplication may also provide genetic resources for the nature to sculpt the core structure of taxoids at different positions and subsequently establish the complex pathway of paclitaxel by neofunctionalization.Furthermore,we confirmed that there are two genes in the cluster encoding isoenzymes of a known enzyme in the paclitaxel biosynthetic pathway.The reference genome of the Himalayan yew will serve as a platform for decoding the complete biosynthetic pathway of paclitaxel and understanding the chemodi-versity of taxoids in gymnosperms.展开更多
Phloretin is an important skin-lightening and depigmenting agent from the peel of apples. Although de novo production of phloretin has been realized in microbes using the natural pathway from plants, the efficiency of...Phloretin is an important skin-lightening and depigmenting agent from the peel of apples. Although de novo production of phloretin has been realized in microbes using the natural pathway from plants, the efficiency of phloretin production is still not enough for industrial application. Here, we established an artificial pathway in the yeast to produce phloretin via assembling two genes of p-coumaroyl-CoA ligase(4CL) and chalcone synthase(CHS). CHS is a key enzyme which conventionally condenses a CoA-tethered starter with three molecules of malonyl-CoA to form the backbone of flavonoids. However, there was 33% of byproduct generated via CHS by condensing two molecules of malonyl-CoA during the fermentation process. Hence, we introduced a more efficient CHS and improved the supply of malonyl-CoA through two pathways;the by-product ratio was decreased from 33% to 17% and the production of phloretin was improved from 48 to 83.2 mg L^(-1). Finally, a fed-batch fermentation process was optimized and the production of phloretin reached 619.5 mg L^(-1), which was 14-fold higher than that of the previous studies. Our work established a platform for the biosynthesis of phloretin from the low-cost raw material 3-(4-hydroxyphenyl) propanoic acid and also illustrated the potential for industrial scale bio-manufacturing of phloretin.展开更多
Plant natural products(PNPs)are the main sources of drugs,food additives,and new biofuels and have become a hotspot in synthetic biology.In the past two decades,the engineered biosynthesis of many PNPs has been achiev...Plant natural products(PNPs)are the main sources of drugs,food additives,and new biofuels and have become a hotspot in synthetic biology.In the past two decades,the engineered biosynthesis of many PNPs has been achieved through the construction of microbial cell factories.Alongside the rapid development of plant physiology,genetics,and plant genetic modification techniques,hosts have now expanded from single-celled microbes to complex plant systems.Plant synthetic biology is an emerging field that combines engineering principles with plant biology.In this review,we introduce recent advances in the biosynthetic pathway elucidation of PNPs and summarize the progress of engineered PNP biosynthesis in plant cells.Furthermore,a future vision of plant synthetic biology is proposed.Although we are still a long way from overcoming all the bottlenecks in plant synthetic biology,the ascent of this field is expected to provide a huge opportunity for future agriculture and industry.展开更多
Cytochrome P450s are widespread in nature and play key roles in the diversification and functional modification of plant natural products.Over the last few years,there has been remarkable progress in plant P450s ident...Cytochrome P450s are widespread in nature and play key roles in the diversification and functional modification of plant natural products.Over the last few years,there has been remarkable progress in plant P450s identification with the rapid development of sequencing technology,“omics”analysis and synthetic biology.However,challenges still persist in respect of crystal structure,heterologous expression and enzyme engineering.Here,we reviewed several research hotspots of P450 enzymes involved in the biosynthesis of plant natural products,including P450 databases,gene mining,heterologous expression and protein engineering.展开更多
Scutellarin related drugs have superior therapeutic effects on cerebrovascular and cardiovascular diseases.Here,an optimal biosynthetic pathway for scutellarin was constructed in Yarrowia lipolytica platform due to it...Scutellarin related drugs have superior therapeutic effects on cerebrovascular and cardiovascular diseases.Here,an optimal biosynthetic pathway for scutellarin was constructed in Yarrowia lipolytica platform due to its excellent metabolic potential.By integrating multi-copies of core genes from different species,the production of scutellarin was increased from 15.11 mg/L to 94.79 mg/L and the ratio of scutellarin to the main by-product was improved about 110-fold in flask condition.Finally,the production of scutellarin was improved 23-fold and reached to 346 mg/L in fed-batch bioreactor,which was the highest reported titer for de novo production of scutellarin in microbes.Our results represent a solid basis for further production of natural products on unconventional yeasts and have a potential of industrial implementation.展开更多
基金National Natural Science Foundation of China(no.32371499)for supporting their research.
文摘Paclitaxel(Taxol)stands out as a tetracyclic diterpenoid natural product derived from the endangered plant Taxus.Recognized as a pivotal broad-spectrum anticancer drug,it has garnered widespread attention due to its low yield,intricate structure,unique anticancer mechanism,and remarkable efficacy(Tong et al.,2021).Although chemists achieved the total synthesis of paclitaxel 30 years ago,after decades of research,the natural biosynthetic pathway for its production remains an enigma(Ajikumar et al.,2010;Malci et al.,2023).A recent breakthrough,published in Molecular Plant by Alisdair R.Fernie's team,unveils a minimal gene set of 18 genes required for paclitaxel biosynthesis(Zhang et al.,2023),representing a significant mark toward unraveling the entire biosynthetic pathway and enhancing paclitaxel production efficiency.
基金the National Key R&D Program of China(2020YFA0908000)National Science Fund for Excellent Young Scholars(31922047)+1 种基金Tianjin Synthetic Biotechnology Innovation Capacity Improvement Project(No.TSBICIP-KJGG-002)the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation(No.2019M661032)。
文摘Taxus,commonly known as yew,is a well-known gymnosperm with great ornamental and medicinal value.In this study,by assembling a chromosome-level genome of the Himalayan yew(Taxus wallichiana)with 10.9 Gb in 12 chromosomes,we revealed that tandem duplication acts as the driving force of gene family evolution in the yew genome,resulting in the main genes for paclitaxel biosynthesis,i.e.those encoding the taxadiene synthase,P450s,and transferases,being clustered on the same chromosome.The tandem duplication may also provide genetic resources for the nature to sculpt the core structure of taxoids at different positions and subsequently establish the complex pathway of paclitaxel by neofunctionalization.Furthermore,we confirmed that there are two genes in the cluster encoding isoenzymes of a known enzyme in the paclitaxel biosynthetic pathway.The reference genome of the Himalayan yew will serve as a platform for decoding the complete biosynthetic pathway of paclitaxel and understanding the chemodi-versity of taxoids in gymnosperms.
基金financially supported by Talents Team Construction Fund of Northwestern Polytechnical University (NWPU)the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31701722)+1 种基金the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (2017M620471)the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31901026)。
文摘Phloretin is an important skin-lightening and depigmenting agent from the peel of apples. Although de novo production of phloretin has been realized in microbes using the natural pathway from plants, the efficiency of phloretin production is still not enough for industrial application. Here, we established an artificial pathway in the yeast to produce phloretin via assembling two genes of p-coumaroyl-CoA ligase(4CL) and chalcone synthase(CHS). CHS is a key enzyme which conventionally condenses a CoA-tethered starter with three molecules of malonyl-CoA to form the backbone of flavonoids. However, there was 33% of byproduct generated via CHS by condensing two molecules of malonyl-CoA during the fermentation process. Hence, we introduced a more efficient CHS and improved the supply of malonyl-CoA through two pathways;the by-product ratio was decreased from 33% to 17% and the production of phloretin was improved from 48 to 83.2 mg L^(-1). Finally, a fed-batch fermentation process was optimized and the production of phloretin reached 619.5 mg L^(-1), which was 14-fold higher than that of the previous studies. Our work established a platform for the biosynthesis of phloretin from the low-cost raw material 3-(4-hydroxyphenyl) propanoic acid and also illustrated the potential for industrial scale bio-manufacturing of phloretin.
基金supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China(grant no.31901026)the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation(grant no.2019M661032)Tianjin Science and technology plan project(grant no.19PTZWHZ00060).
文摘Plant natural products(PNPs)are the main sources of drugs,food additives,and new biofuels and have become a hotspot in synthetic biology.In the past two decades,the engineered biosynthesis of many PNPs has been achieved through the construction of microbial cell factories.Alongside the rapid development of plant physiology,genetics,and plant genetic modification techniques,hosts have now expanded from single-celled microbes to complex plant systems.Plant synthetic biology is an emerging field that combines engineering principles with plant biology.In this review,we introduce recent advances in the biosynthetic pathway elucidation of PNPs and summarize the progress of engineered PNP biosynthesis in plant cells.Furthermore,a future vision of plant synthetic biology is proposed.Although we are still a long way from overcoming all the bottlenecks in plant synthetic biology,the ascent of this field is expected to provide a huge opportunity for future agriculture and industry.
基金This work was supported by grants from the National Key R&D Program of China(No.2019YFA0905700)to J.C.the National Natural Science Foundation of China(NSFC+3 种基金Grant No.31901026)the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation(Grant No.2019M661032)to X.LTianjin Science and technology plan project(Grant No.19PTZWHZ00060)Tianjin Synthetic Biotechnology Innovation Capacity Improvement Project(TSBICIP-KJGG-007&TSBICIP-KJGG-002)to H.J.
文摘Cytochrome P450s are widespread in nature and play key roles in the diversification and functional modification of plant natural products.Over the last few years,there has been remarkable progress in plant P450s identification with the rapid development of sequencing technology,“omics”analysis and synthetic biology.However,challenges still persist in respect of crystal structure,heterologous expression and enzyme engineering.Here,we reviewed several research hotspots of P450 enzymes involved in the biosynthesis of plant natural products,including P450 databases,gene mining,heterologous expression and protein engineering.
基金funding from the Major Science and Technique Programs in Yunnan Province(No.2019ZF011-1)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.81960689)+4 种基金the National Key R&D Program of China(2020YFC1316400)the Project of Young and Middle-Aged Talent of Yunnan Province(No.2019HB019)Science and Technology Innovation team of Yunnan(No.202105AE160011)Tianjin Synthetic Biotechnology Innovation Capacity Improvement Project(No.TSBICIP-KJGG-002-02)the Tianjin Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars(No.18JCJQJC48300).
文摘Scutellarin related drugs have superior therapeutic effects on cerebrovascular and cardiovascular diseases.Here,an optimal biosynthetic pathway for scutellarin was constructed in Yarrowia lipolytica platform due to its excellent metabolic potential.By integrating multi-copies of core genes from different species,the production of scutellarin was increased from 15.11 mg/L to 94.79 mg/L and the ratio of scutellarin to the main by-product was improved about 110-fold in flask condition.Finally,the production of scutellarin was improved 23-fold and reached to 346 mg/L in fed-batch bioreactor,which was the highest reported titer for de novo production of scutellarin in microbes.Our results represent a solid basis for further production of natural products on unconventional yeasts and have a potential of industrial implementation.