Cited by 185Microbial Metabolic Engineering and BioproductionPlant biochemistry and biosynthesisMicrobial Natural Products and Biosynthesis

Isoprenoid drugs, biofuels, and Chemicals–Artemisinin, farnesene, and beyond

George, Kevin W., Alonso-Gutierrez, Jorge, Keasling, Jay D., Lee, Taek Soon·2015·Advances in biochemical engineering, biotechnology

Abstract

Isoprenoids have been identified and used as natural pharmaceuticals, fragrances, solvents, and, more recently, advanced biofuels. Although isoprenoids are most commonly found in plants, researchers have successfully engineered both the eukaryotic and prokaryotic isoprenoid biosynthetic pathways to produce these valuable chemicals in microorganisms at high yields. The microbial synthesis of the precursor to artemisinin--an important antimalarial drug produced from the sweet wormwood Artemisia annua--serves as perhaps the most successful example of this approach. Through advances in synthetic biology and metabolic engineering, microbial-derived semisynthetic artemisinin may soon replace plant-derived artemisinin as the primary source of this valuable pharmaceutical. The richness and diversity of isoprenoid structures also make them ideal candidates for advanced biofuels that may act as "drop-in" replacements for gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel. Indeed, the sesquiterpenes farnesene and bisabolene, monoterpenes pinene and limonene, and hemiterpenes isopentenol and isopentanol have been evaluated as fuels or fuel precursors. As in the artemisinin project, these isoprenoids have been produced microbially through synthetic biology and metabolic engineering efforts. Here, we provide a brief review of the numerous isoprenoid compounds that have found use as pharmaceuticals, flavors, commodity chemicals, and, most importantly, advanced biofuels. In each case, we highlight the metabolic engineering strategies that were used to produce these compounds successfully in microbial hosts. In addition, we present a current outlook on microbial isoprenoid production, with an eye towards the many challenges that must be addressed to achieve higher yields and industrial-scale production.

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Crossref · 10.1007/10_2014_288

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  • E. coli and yeast have successfully been reprogrammed to convert sugars at commercially relevant rates and concentrations to new products like farnesene, isobutanol, 1,3-propanediol, and 1,4-butanediol.

    “These have successfully been reprogrammed to convert sugars at commercially relevant rates and concentrations to new products like farnesene, isobutanol, 1,3-propanediol (1,3-PDO), and 1,4-butanediol (1,4-BDO) (Lan and Liao, 2013; Cho et al., 2014; George et al., 2015; Burk and Van Dien, 2016).”

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Authors
George, K. W., Alonso-Gutierrez, J., Keasling, J. D., & Lee, T. S.
Affiliations
  • Joint BioEnergy Institute (US)
  • Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (US)
Corresponding author
Lee, Taek Soon
Venue
Advances in biochemical engineering, biotechnology
Published
2015
Volume
148
Pages
355-389
ISSN
  • 0724-6145 (ISSN-L)
  • 1616-8542
OpenAlex
W1463493509
Cited by
185
References
137
Citations by year
2026: 2 · 2025: 15 · 2024: 13 · 2023: 13 · 2022: 10 · 2021: 19 · 2020: 22 · 2019: 25 · 2018: 18 · 2017: 23 · 2016: 19 · 2015: 6
FWCI
35.04
Type
book chapter
Language
en
Update notices
erratum (2015-03-27)
Open access
closed
Locations
  • Advances in biochemical engineering, biotechnology (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Microbial Metabolic Engineering and Bioproduction
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Plant biochemistry and biosynthesis
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Pharmacology › Microbial Natural Products and Biosynthesis
Keywords
terpenoids, artemisinin, farnesene, metabolic engineering, synthetic biology, advanced biofuels, drop-in fuels, sesquiterpenes, monoterpenes, Artemisia annua, microbial production of natural products
MeSH terms
Biological Products, Biotechnology, Chemistry, Pharmaceutical, Industrial Microbiology, Sesquiterpenes, Drug Design, Artemisinins, Biofuels, Synthetic Biology, Metabolic Engineering

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