Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, LBM, UMR 5200, F-33140 Villenave d'Ornon, France.
Department of Functional and Evolutionary Ecology, Division of Molecular Systems Biology (MOSYS), Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Vienna, Djerassiplatz 1, 1030, Vienna, Austria.
J Exp Bot. 2022 May 13;73(9):2817-2834. doi: 10.1093/jxb/erac046.
Wax esters are high-value compounds used as feedstocks for the production of lubricants, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics. Currently, they are produced mostly from fossil reserves using chemical synthesis, but this cannot meet increasing demand and has a negative environmental impact. Natural wax esters are also obtained from Simmondsia chinensis (jojoba) but comparably in very low amounts and expensively. Therefore, metabolic engineering of plants, especially of the seed storage lipid metabolism of oil crops, represents an attractive strategy for renewable, sustainable, and environmentally friendly production of wax esters tailored to industrial applications. Utilization of wax ester-synthesizing enzymes with defined specificities and modulation of the acyl-CoA pools by various genetic engineering approaches can lead to obtaining wax esters with desired compositions and properties. However, obtaining high amounts of wax esters is still challenging due to their negative impact on seed germination and yield. In this review, we describe recent progress in establishing non-food-plant platforms for wax ester production and discuss their advantages and limitations as well as future prospects.
蜡酯是高价值化合物，可用作生产润滑剂、药品和化妆品的原料。目前，它们主要通过化学合成从化石储备中生产，但这无法满足日益增长的需求，并对环境造成负面影响。天然蜡酯也可从西蒙得木（荷荷巴）中获得，但数量相对较少且昂贵。因此，植物代谢工程，特别是油料作物种子储存脂质代谢的代谢工程，代表了一种有吸引力的策略，可以针对工业应用，可再生、可持续和环保地生产定制的蜡酯。利用具有特定特异性的蜡酯合成酶，并通过各种基因工程方法调节酰基辅酶 A 池，可以获得具有所需组成和性质的蜡酯。然而，由于蜡酯对种子发芽和产量有负面影响，因此仍然难以获得高含量的蜡酯。在这篇综述中，我们描述了在建立非食用植物平台生产蜡酯方面的最新进展，并讨论了它们的优缺点和未来前景。
