Production of value-added chemicals from glycerol using in vitro enzymatic cascades. Issue 1 (December 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Li, Zhong; Yan, Jinxin; Sun, Jinkai; Xu, Ping; Ma, Cuiqing; Gao, Chao
• Is Part Of: Communications chemistry. Volume 1:Issue 1(2018)
• Page Start: 1
• Page End: 7
• Publication Date: 2018-12
• Subjects: Chemistry -- Periodicals; 540
• DOI: 10.1038/s42004-018-0070-7
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2399-3669

Abstract

Abstract The large surplus of glycerol derived from the expanding biofuel industry raises economic and environmental concerns regarding disposal. In vitro synthetic biology is emerging as a useful biomanufacturing platform while the conversion of glycerol is rarely investigated. Here we develop a thermostable in vitro synthetic biosystem consisting of three enzymatic cascades for the biotransformation of glycerol into valuable chemicals with different degrees of reduction. Condensation of glycerol, phenol, and ammonium intol -tyrosine is achieved using four enzymes without the assistance of NAD+ /NADH-related redox reactions. Production of chemicals with high degrees of reduction (e.g., optically purel -lactate andd -lactate) is also verified through coupling with an NADH-regeneration system. The biotransformation of glycerol and ammonium intol -serine is achieved using four enzymes with self-sufficient NADH recycling. Glycerol is an abundant byproduct of the biofuel industry which holds promise as a platform chemical. Here glycerol is converted to value-added chemicals of varying degrees of reduction using thermostable multi-enzyme cascades.