Microbial Cell Factories for Tetrahydroisoquinoline Alkaloid Production. (2nd November 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Kulagina, Natalja; Papon, Nicolas; Courdavault, Vincent
• Is Part Of: Chembiochem. Volume 22:Number 4(2021)
• Page Start: 639
• Page End: 641
• Publication Date: 2020-11-02
• Subjects: bio-production -- cell factories -- metabolic engineering -- tetrahydroisoquinoline alkaloids -- yeast; Biochemistry -- Periodicals; Molecular biology -- Periodicals; Pharmaceutical chemistry -- Periodicals; 572
• DOI: 10.1002/cbic.202000579
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1439-4227

Abstract

Abstract: For decades, plants have represented an inexhaustible source of natural products used in various sectors such as health and industry. However, one recurring problem is the low accumulation of these compounds in planta and, therefore, their production costs and supply. In recent years, unprecedented hope has been brought by the metabolic engineering of microorganisms, which opens up prospects for supply of these molecules at lower cost with high added value. However, many of these productions remained at a laboratory scale. In a recent article published in Nature Communication, Vincent J. J. Martin's team has developed an optimized yeast strain capable of synthesizing not only a huge amount of ( S )‐reticuline, a major precursor of the plant tetrahydroisoquinoline alkaloid series, but also a whole range of new‐to‐nature compounds from this prominent family of natural products. This synthesis, reaching industrial scales, thus paves the way to efficient production in microbial cell factories. Abstract : Industrial‐scale production of ( S )‐reticuline has recently been achieved through the optimization of a previously engineered ( S )‐reticuline‐producing recombinant yeast strain; this led to a 57 000‐fold improvement in ( S )‐reticuline yield, as well as to the synthesis of new‐to‐nature tetrahydroisoquinoline alkaloids.