微生物合成奇数链脂肪酸研究进展*

奇数链脂肪酸(odd-chain fatty acids,OCFA)在自然界分布广泛但含量低,在食品、医药健康和工业等领域有着巨大的应用潜力。目前获取OCFA的方法主要为提取法和化学合成法,但成本高、效率低,而通过微生物发酵有望实现OCFA大规模工业生产。总结OCFA的应用范围和天然合成OCFA的微生物种类,详述微生物合成OCFA的代谢途径,并从基因工程策略和发酵调控策略两方面综述目前提升OCFA产量的研究现状,旨在为利用合成生物学策略改造和提升微生物合成OCFA的能力提供较为系统的理论依据。

Advances in the Synthesis of Odd-chain Fatty Acids by Microorganisms

Odd-chain fatty acids (OCFAs) are widely distributed in nature, while their level is low. OCFA has huge application potential in the fields of medicine, health, and industry. The current methods of obtaining OCFA are mainly included in the extraction and chemical synthesis, which limits its application due to the higher-cost and the lower-efficiency. Microbial fermentation is one of the most promising strategies for large-scale industrial production. This article briefly discusses the scope of application of OCFA, summarizes the microorganisms that can naturally synthesize OCFA, introduces in detail the related metabolic pathways involved in microbial synthesis of OCFA, and reviews the current strategies of genetic engineering and fermentation regulation for improving OCFA production. Taken together, this summary aims to provide a more systematic and comprehensive theoretical basis for improving OCFA production of microorganism by synthetic biology strategies.