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Philos Trans A Math Phys Eng Sci. 2011 May 13;369(1942):1826-39. doi: 10.1098/rsta.2010.0347.
Depletion of oil reserves and the associated effects on climate change have prompted a re-examination of the use of plant biomass as a sustainable source of organic carbon for the large-scale production of chemicals and materials. While initial emphasis has been placed on biofuel production from edible plant sugars, the drive to reduce the competition between crop usage for food and non-food applications has prompted massive research efforts to access the less digestible saccharides in cell walls (lignocellulosics). This in turn has prompted an examination of the use of other plant-derived metabolites for the production of chemicals spanning the high-value speciality sectors through to platform intermediates required for bulk production. The associated science of biorefining, whereby all plant biomass can be used efficiently to derive such chemicals, is now rapidly developing around the world. However, it is clear that the heterogeneity and distribution of organic carbon between valuable products and waste streams are suboptimal. As an alternative, we now propose the use of synthetic biology approaches to 're-construct' plant feedstocks for optimal processing of biomass for non-food applications. Promising themes identified include re-engineering polysaccharides, deriving artificial organelles, and the reprogramming of plant signalling and secondary metabolism.
石油储量的枯竭以及由此带来的气候变化影响，促使人们重新审视将植物生物质作为一种可持续的有机碳来源，用于大规模生产化学品和材料。虽然最初的重点是从可食用植物糖中生产生物燃料，但为了减少作物在食品和非食品应用之间的竞争，人们已经投入了大量的研究工作来获取细胞壁中更难消化的糖（木质纤维素）。这反过来又促使人们研究利用其他植物来源的代谢产物来生产化学品，这些化学品涵盖了高价值的特种化学品领域，以及大宗生产所需的平台中间体。与之相关的生物炼制科学，即有效地利用所有植物生物质来生产这些化学品，正在全球范围内迅速发展。然而，很明显，有价值产品和废物之间的有机碳的异质性和分布并不理想。作为一种替代方法，我们现在提议使用合成生物学方法来“重建”植物原料，以优化非食品应用的生物质加工。确定的有前景的主题包括对多糖进行工程改造、衍生人工细胞器，以及对植物信号转导和次生代谢进行重新编程。
