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Pathway engineering and synthetic biology using acetogens
Author(s) -
Schiel-Bengelsdorf Bettina,
Dürre Peter
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
febs letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.593
H-Index - 257
eISSN - 1873-3468
pISSN - 0014-5793
DOI - 10.1016/j.febslet.2012.04.043
Subject(s) - biochemical engineering , commodity chemicals , metabolic engineering , synthetic biology , biofuel , microbiology and biotechnology , industrial biotechnology , biology , engineering , computational biology , biochemistry , enzyme , catalysis
Acetogenic anaerobic bacteria are defined as organisms employing the Wood–Ljungdahl pathway to synthesize acetyl‐CoA from CO 2 or CO. Their autotrophic mode of metabolism offers the biotechnological chance to combine use of abundantly available substrates with reduction of greenhouse gases. Several companies have already established pilot and demonstration plants for converting waste gases into ethanol, an important biofuel and a natural product of many acetogens. Recombinant DNA approaches now opened the door to construct acetogens, synthesizing important industrial bulk chemicals and biofuels such as acetone and butanol. Thus, novel microbial production platforms are available that no longer compete with nutritional feedstocks.