Jansen Frank, Gillessen Bernhard, Mueller Frank, Commandeur Ulrich, Fischer Rainer, Kreuzaler Fritz
Institute of Biology I, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany.
Biotechnol Appl Biochem. 2014 Nov-Dec;61(6):646-54. doi: 10.1002/bab.1222.
The plant polymer lignin is the greatest source of aromatic chemical structures on earth. Hence, the chemically diverse lignin monomers are valuable raw materials for fine chemicals, materials synthesis, and food and flavor industries. However, extensive use of this natural resource is hampered by the large number of different lignin monomers and the complex and irregular structure of lignin, which renders current processes for its chemical or enzymatic degradation inefficient. The microbial production of lignin monomers from renewable resources represents a promising alternative to lignin degradation, which could meet the demand for aromatic chemical structures. In this study, we describe the functional introduction of an artificial phenylpropanoid pathway into Escherichia coli, achieved by transferring several genes from plants and microbes. The established chimeric pathway efficiently converts l-tyrosine into the lignin precursor molecule p-coumaryl alcohol.
植物聚合物木质素是地球上芳香族化学结构的最大来源。因此，化学性质多样的木质素单体是精细化学品、材料合成以及食品和香料工业的宝贵原材料。然而，这种自然资源的广泛应用受到大量不同木质素单体以及木质素复杂且不规则结构的阻碍，这使得目前其化学或酶促降解过程效率低下。利用可再生资源通过微生物生产木质素单体是木质素降解的一种有前景的替代方法，有望满足对芳香族化学结构的需求。在本研究中，我们描述了通过从植物和微生物中转移几个基因，将人工苯丙烷途径功能性引入大肠杆菌的过程。所建立的嵌合途径可有效地将L-酪氨酸转化为木质素前体分子对香豆醇。
