合成生物学

• 特约评述 •    

微生物合成高级醇的发展趋势与挑战

方馨仪1, 孙丽超2, 霍毅欣2, 王颖3, 岳海涛1   

  1. 1.新疆大学,新疆维吾尔自治区 乌鲁木齐 830000
    2.北京理工大学生命学院,分子医学与生物诊疗重点实验室,北京 100081
    3.北京理工大学化学与化工学院,生物化工研究所,医药分子科学与制剂工程工信部重点实验室,北京 100081
  • 收稿日期:2025-01-21 修回日期:2025-04-18 出版日期:2025-04-22
  • 通讯作者: 王颖,岳海涛
  • 作者简介:方馨仪(2000—),女,硕士研究生。研究方向为合成生物学,生物信息,大语言模型。 E-mail:107552301711@stu.xju.edu.cn
    王颖(1987—),女,北京理工大学特别研究员,博士生导师。研究方向为合成生物学与代谢工程。 E-mail:wy2015@bit.edu.cn
    岳海涛(1980—),男,教授,博士生导师。研究方向为抗逆元件挖掘设计与高版本底盘构建等。 E-mail:yuehaitao@tsinghua.org.cn
  • 基金资助:
    河北省自然科学基金面上项目“基于氨基酸资源分配的代谢调控策略及其在异丁醇生产中的应用”(C2023105022);唐山市科技计划项目(23130228E);新疆自治区重点研发任务专项(2023B02034);新疆自治区青年拔尖人才-基础研究人才(20243122875);国家自然科学基金(U2003305)

Trends and challenges in microbial synthesis of higher alcohols

FANG Xinyi1, SUN Lichao2, HUO Yixin2, WANG Ying3, YUE Haitao1   

  1. 1.Xinjiang University,Urumqi 830000,Xinjiang,China
    2.Key Laboratory of Molecular Medicine and Biotherapy,School of Life Science,Beijing Institute of Technology,Beijing 100081,China
    3.Key Laboratory of Medicinal Molecule Science and Pharmaceutical Engineering,Ministry of Industry and Information Technology,Institute of Biochemical Engineering,School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering,Beijing Institute of Technology,Beijing 100081,China
  • Received:2025-01-21 Revised:2025-04-18 Online:2025-04-22
  • Contact: WANG Ying, YUE Haitao

摘要:

高级醇是指含有三个或以上碳原子的醇类。传统高级醇的生产主要依赖于石化资源,然而其不可再生性限制了相关产业的发展,因此开发可持续的生物基高级醇生产技术成为研究热点。本文综述了高级醇的市场规模、主要应用领域及其经济价值,并重点分析了异丁醇、1,3-丁二醇和2,3-丁二醇的市场表现。进一步探讨了高级醇的生物合成路径,包括乙酰辅酶A依赖途径、支链氨基酸合成途径和脂肪酸链延长途径,同时总结了代谢工程优化策略,如辅因子平衡调节、竞争途径敲除、酶优化及高产菌株筛选。此外,本文还综述了基于新技术的多维度优化策略,未来有望通过生物传感器、高效基因编辑和计算机辅助代谢工程等技术的结合,进一步优化微生物细胞工厂的设计,有助于提高高级醇的工业化生产效率,为可再生能源和绿色化学工业的发展提供重要支持。

关键词: 生物燃料, 高级醇, 合成途径, 代谢工程, 合成生物学

Abstract:

Higher alcohols refer to alcohols containing three or more carbon atoms and represent an important class of chemicals widely used in various industries, such as fuels, solvents, coatings, and specialty chemicals. Traditionally, the production of these higher alcohols has depended heavily on petrochemical processes, which not only rely on non-renewable resources but also contribute significantly to environmental pollution. The finite nature of fossil fuels and the associated environmental concerns have prompted researchers to explore alternative, sustainable production methods. Consequently, the development of sustainable bio-based higher alcohol production technologies has emerged as a critical research focus. Recent advances in metabolic engineering and synthetic biology have paved the way for developing engineered microbial strains capable of producing higher alcohols through biological fermentation. By optimizing metabolic pathways, these engineered strains can channel more carbon flux toward the desired alcohol products. In addition, enhancing the tolerance of these strains to high concentrations of the produced alcohols and improving their overall biosynthetic capabilities are key strategies that have been successfully implemented. Such innovations have enabled the production of higher alcohols from renewable feedstocks in a more environmentally friendly and cost-effective manner. Renewable raw materials, such as lignocellulose, waste proteins, waste lipids, and carbon dioxide, provide diverse possibilities for the environmentally friendly and sustainable synthesis of higher alcohols. Lignocellulosic biomass, for instance, is abundant and renewable, making it an attractive alternative to conventional sugars. Waste proteins and lipids, often derived from industrial by-products, provide additional inexpensive substrates that not only help in waste valorization but also reduce the overall production cost. Carbon dioxide, as an abundant greenhouse gas, can be captured and converted into valuable higher alcohols, contributing to carbon sequestration and climate change mitigation. Despite these promising prospects, several challenges remain to be addressed. Issues such as low substrate conversion efficiency, the formation of inhibitory byproducts during fermentation, and high costs associated with downstream separation and purification continue to hinder commercial viability. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the current market size, major applications, and economic value of higher alcohols, with particular emphasis on the market performance of isobutanol, 1,3-butanediol, and 2,3-butanediol. In addition, the review explores the biosynthetic pathways utilized for higher alcohol production, including the acetyl-CoA-dependent pathway, the branched-chain amino acid synthesis pathway, and the fatty acid chain elongation pathway. It also summarizes key metabolic engineering strategies, such as cofactor balancing, competitive pathway elimination, enzyme optimization, and high-yield strain selection. Moreover, the utilization of extremophiles as chassis cells, in combination with next-generation industrial biotechnology (NGIB), represents a promising new direction for sustainable production. Looking ahead, the integration of biosensors, advanced gene editing technologies, and computer-aided metabolic engineering is expected to further optimize microbial cell factory design, thereby enhancing the industrial production efficiency of higher alcohols and promoting the development of renewable energy and green chemical industries.

Key words: biofuels, higher alcohols, synthetic pathway, metabolic engineering, synthetic biology

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