Advances in optimization of metabolic pathways for styrene synthesis by microbial engineering?

Progress in Optimization of Metabolic Pathway for Synthesis of Styrene by Microbial Engineering

in the context of global green and sustainable development, styrene, as an important organic chemical raw material, is widely used in plastics, resins and elastomers. The traditional petroleum-dependent styrene production method not only consumes a lot of fossil fuels, but also pollutes the environment. As a green bio-manufacturing technology, microbial engineering synthesis of styrene has attracted wide attention in recent years. Among them, the optimization of metabolic pathway is the core of the research in this field, and this paper will analyze the progress of the optimization of the metabolic pathway of styrene synthesis by microbial engineering.

1. Microbial Synthesis of Styrene

Microbial synthesis of styrene mainly through the method of metabolic engineering, the metabolic pathway in the engineering strain was modified. Usually, scientists will select suitable microbial hosts, such as Escherichia coli, yeast, etc., and introduce the enzyme system required for styrene synthesis through genetic engineering technology to construct a strain that can efficiently produce styrene. This bio-manufacturing method has the advantages of environmental friendliness and low resource consumption, and is considered to be a powerful alternative to traditional production processes.

2. Optimizing metabolic pathways is necessary

The optimization of metabolic pathways is the key to improve the yield and production efficiency of styrene. In the process of microbial metabolism, multiple enzymatic reactions work together, and the inefficiency of any one step may lead to the limitation of the overall yield. Therefore, researchers are committed to optimizing these key steps to reduce metabolic bottlenecks and improve the synthesis efficiency of the target product.

3. Current advances in metabolic pathway optimization

(1) Strain modification

scientists optimize the metabolic pathway of host bacteria by knocking out or overexpressing related genes to improve the synthesis efficiency of styrene. For example, the researchers modified the tryptophan metabolic pathway of E. coli to increase the supply of precursors to aromatic compounds and significantly increase the production of styrene. Genome editing tools, such as CRISPR-Cas9, are used to precisely regulate the expression levels of key enzymes and optimize multiple metabolic steps.

(2) Optimization of key enzymes

in the process of styrene synthesis, the activity of some key enzymes such as phenylalanine amine synthase (PAS) has an important influence on the product yield. Researchers have modified these key enzymes by means of protein engineering to improve their catalytic efficiency and thermal stability. For example, through site-directed mutagenesis of the PAS enzyme, a variant with a 30% increase in catalytic efficiency was successfully obtained, providing technical support for the efficient synthesis of styrene.

(3) Application of transcriptional regulation system

in order to more precisely regulate metabolic pathways, the researchers introduced the concept of synthetic biology into metabolic engineering. Spatio-temporal specific regulation of the metabolic pathway of interest is achieved by designing and introducing transcriptional regulatory systems, e.g., using synthetic promoters and inducible promoters. For example, the tetracycline-controlled transactivation system is used to regulate the expression of genes related to styrene synthesis, thereby optimizing metabolic flow and increasing product yield.

(4) Development of synthetic biocatalysts

in order to improve the metabolic capacity of microorganisms, researchers are also working to develop new synthetic biocatalysts. For example, through the modular design of metabolic pathways and the construction of gene circuits, the host bacteria can efficiently convert carbon sources such as glucose into styrene. This modular design not only improves metabolic efficiency, but also provides room for subsequent process optimization.

4. Future development direction

Although significant progress has been made in the optimization of metabolic pathways, there are still some challenges to overcome. For example, how to further improve the yield and purity of the product, how to reduce the generation of by-products, and how to achieve industrial production. In the future, researchers will pay more attention to the application of systems biology and big data analysis, and use multiple groups to analyze metabolic networks in depth and find new optimization points. Artificial intelligence technology may also be used to predict and design optimal metabolic pathways to speed up the research process.

5. Summary

The optimization of metabolic pathways for styrene synthesis by microbial engineering is a complex and challenging process. Through the efforts of strain modification, key enzyme optimization, transcriptional regulation and the development of synthetic biocatalysts, scientists continue to promote the development of this field. The successful application of this technology will not only provide a new green production method for the chemical industry, but also provide an important reference for the biological manufacturing of other complex chemicals.

With the deepening of research and the progress of technology, the optimization of metabolic pathway of microbial engineering synthesis of styrene will make more breakthroughs in the future, and further promote the development of green chemical industry.