Key Laboratory of Exploration and Utilization of Aquatic Genetic Resources, Ministry of Education; International Research Center for Marine Biosciences, Ministry of Science and Technology; Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai 201306, China; Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China.
College of Food Science and Engineering, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266003, China.
Biochem Pharmacol. 2024 Feb;220:115958. doi: 10.1016/j.bcp.2023.115958. Epub 2023 Dec 3.
Synthetic biology has emerged as a powerful tool for engineering biological systems to produce valuable compounds, including pharmaceuticals and nutraceuticals. Microalgae, in particular, offer a promising platform for the production of bioactive compounds due to their high productivity, low land and water requirements, and ability to perform photosynthesis. Fucoxanthin, a carotenoid pigment found predominantly in brown seaweeds and certain microalgae, has gained significant attention in recent years due to its numerous health benefits, such as antioxidation, antitumor effect and precaution osteoporosis. This review provides an overview of the principles and applications of synthetic biology in the microbial engineering of microalgae for enhanced fucoxanthin production. Firstly, the fucoxanthin bioavailability and metabolism in vivo was introduced for the beneficial roles, followed by the biological functions of anti-oxidant activity, anti-inflammatory activity, antiapoptotic role antidiabetic and antilipemic effects. Secondly, the cultivation condition and strategy were summarized for fucoxanthin improvement with low production costs. Thirdly, the genetic engineering of microalgae, including gene overexpression, knockdown and knockout strategies were discussed for further improving the fucoxanthin production. Then, synthetic biology tools of CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing, transcription activator-like effector nucleases as well as modular assembly and chassis engineering were proposed to precise modification of microalgal genomes to improve fucoxanthin production. Finally, challenges and future perspectives were discussed to realize the industrial production and development of functional foods of fucoxanthin from microalgae.
合成生物学已成为工程生物系统生产有价值化合物的有力工具，包括药物和营养保健品。微藻由于其高生产力、低土地和水需求以及进行光合作用的能力，是生产生物活性化合物的有前途的平台。岩藻黄质是一种主要存在于褐藻和某些微藻中的类胡萝卜素色素，由于其众多的健康益处，如抗氧化、抗肿瘤作用和预防骨质疏松症，近年来受到了极大的关注。
本综述概述了合成生物学在微生物工程中用于增强岩藻黄质生产的原理和应用。首先，介绍了岩藻黄质在体内的生物利用度和代谢，以了解其有益作用，其次介绍了其抗氧化活性、抗炎活性、抗凋亡作用、抗糖尿病和抗血脂作用的生物功能。然后，总结了提高岩藻黄质产量的低成本培养条件和策略。其次，讨论了微藻的基因工程，包括基因过表达、敲低和敲除策略，以进一步提高岩藻黄质的产量。然后，提出了合成生物学工具，如 CRISPR-Cas9 基因组编辑、转录激活子样效应物核酸酶以及模块化组装和底盘工程，以精确修饰微藻基因组，提高岩藻黄质的产量。最后，讨论了挑战和未来展望，以实现微藻岩藻黄质的工业生产和功能性食品的发展。
