Natural Product Heterologous Biosynthesis in Engineered Microorganisms

Dear Colleagues,

With the increasing prominence of the global energy crisis and environmental problems, there is a shift towards a green transformation in the traditional industrial manufacturing supply chain that relies on fossil resources. Biomanufacturing technology, as one of the strategic emerging technologies in the bioeconomy, utilizes microorganisms or enzymes to convert inexpensive agricultural resources like starch and glucose into high-value products. This technology offers several advantages, including the use of renewable raw materials, rapid production, clean and efficient processes, and the potential to fundamentally transform the world's industrial manufacturing landscape. In recent years, synthetic biological manufacturing has played a crucial role in the green revolution of traditional industrial manufacturing by synthesizing bio-based products that natural organisms are unable to produce or by replacing less efficient chemical products. There have been numerous industrial achievements in biological manufacturing worldwide, and these advancements are widely utilized in important industrial manufacturing sectors such as the chemical industry, feed production, materials, food, and energy.

Industrial microbial chassis cells have garnered significant interest for their potential in biomanufacturing natural products. In addition to developing new industrial microorganisms, researchers have also started utilizing model microorganisms such as saccharomyces cerevisiae, Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis, and others to efficiently synthesize various natural products including polyamino acids, melatonin, salidroside, blue copper peptide, astaxanthin, and erythritol. These efforts have yielded promising research outcomes. Biomanufacturing technology encompasses the convergence of life sciences, information science, and engineering, and requires addressing industrialization challenges such as product laboratory research and development, scalable production, and downstream industrial extraction. To overcome the limitations of existing biological systems, researchers can employ techniques like gene synthesis, gene editing, pathway assembly and optimization, and global cell optimization to establish novel cell factories. This accelerates the industrialization process of scientific achievements, fostering the emergence of bio-systems better suited for industrialization.

The objective of this Special Issue is to publish the latest innovative research findings, focusing on the development of new natural products and their efficient synthesis in engineered microorganisms. We are particularly interested in articles and reviews that explore techniques such as genetic modification, gene editing, pathway assembly, and global regulation, as they relate to the synthesis of natural products. If you are planning to submit a review article, please contact one of the Guest Editors in advance to discuss the relevance of your topic.

Dr. Yibin Qiu
Prof. Dr. Hui Li
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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• natural products
• synthesis of high-value products
• engineering microorganisms
• inexpensive agricultural raw materials
• green biomanufacturing
• gene editing
• pathway assembly and optimization
• cellular global optimization
• novel regulatory techniques