Biosynthesis of Plant-Derived Bioactive Components by Photosynthetic Microorganisms

Dear Colleagues,

Plant-derived bioactive compounds, including fatty acids, terpenoids, flavonoids, and alkonids, have versatile bioactivities used either for biopesticides in agriculture or health-promoting benefits in the food and pharmaceutical industries. However, the low synthesis amount of these compounds from plants can hardly satisfy commercial demands, and the dependence of these compounds on plants could also lead to detrimental ecological effects. Photosynthetic bacteria, such as cyanobacteria, harbor several inherited merits that make them excellent microbial cell factories. They can directly absorb CO₂ from the atmosphere and store it in organic compounds with high efficiency owing to their CO₂ concentrating mechanism, which offers a thorough strategy to neutralize carbon footprints. The photosynthesis process of photosynthetic bacteria supplies versatile substrates for plant secondary metabolite biosynthesis, and the absence of subcellular organelles and compartments to separate various metabolites provides the opportunity to think outside the box and design some biosynthetic pathways that are more challenging to achieve in higher plants or other eukaryotic cells. Of course, more challenges need to be overcome, and one of the most significant issues is how to improve target productivity. Strategies such as carbon fixation enhancement, carbon flow optimization, and novel biosynthetic pathways are highly appreciated in the community. This Special Issue of Plants will highlight the process of all relevant studies and cover a broad range from biodesign logic, biocompound synthesis feasibility, and production improvements, with the intent of providing an index and encouraging more scientists to become involved in the relevant research area.

You may choose our Joint Special Issue in Plants.

Dr. Haojie Jin
Prof. Dr. Yonghong Bi
Guest Editors

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• photosynthetic bacteria
• biosynthsis
• bioactive compounds
• metabolic engineering