Cyanobacteria as a Platform for the High-Value Chemicals Production

Artur Jacek Wlodarczyk

Abstract

Emerging problems like increasing global warming and depletion of fossil fuels bring serious concerns regarding production of food and various chemicals in the future. Clearly, there is a need for finding alternative and more sustainable ways of producing chemicals in order to satisfy increasing consumer demands of an ever growing population. Considering the ability to convert solar energy and carbon dioxide into biomass, cyanobacteria and microalgae have potential for becoming such alternative in the future. Biosynthesis of a great number of plant high-value secondary metabolites requires the involvement of specialized enzymes called cytochromes P450s. These enzymes typically residing in the endoplasmic reticulum membranes require electron transfers from the electron transfer protein cytochrome P450 oxidoreductase. However, cyanobacterial photosystem I and ferredoxin can replace the native P450 oxidoreductase as an efficient electron donor for the P450s. We demonstrated that the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 can be used as a host for expression of P450-dependent pathways exemplified by the dhurrin pathway from Sorghum bicolor. Also a potential of using simple V-shaped photobioreactors and cheap fertilizer as a medium for the cultivation of engineered cyanobacterial strains is shown. Alternative strategy to engineer Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 as a universal platform for the sustainable production of diverse range high-value phenylpropanoids which find use as pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and food additives is also discussed.

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