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Biofuels and bio-based chemicals from lignocellulose: metabolic engineering strategies in strain development

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Abstract

Interest in developing a sustainable technology for fuels and chemicals has unleashed tremendous creativity in metabolic engineering for strain development over the last few years. This is driven by the exceptionally recalcitrant substrate, lignocellulose, and the necessity to keep the costs down for commodity products. Traditional methods of gene expression and evolutionary engineering are more effectively used with the help of synthetic biology and -omics techniques. Compared to the last biomass research peak during the 1980s oil crisis, a more diverse range of microorganisms are being engineered for a greater variety of products, reflecting the broad applicability and effectiveness of today’s gene technology. We review here several prominent and successful metabolic engineering strategies with emphasis on the following four areas: xylose catabolism, inhibitor tolerance, synthetic microbial consortium, and cellulosic oligomer assimilation.

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Acknowledgments

Metabolic engineering and biomass-related research in Chen Lab at Georgia Institute of Technology is supported by NSF, USDA, Chevron Inc., C2Biofuel, and Georgia Research Alliance.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 311 Ferst Drive, NW, Atlanta, GA, 30332-0100, USA

    Rachel Chen

  2. Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Rice University, Houston, TX, 77251-1892, USA

    Jennifer Dou

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  1. Rachel Chen
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  2. Jennifer Dou
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Correspondence to Rachel Chen.

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Chen, R., Dou, J. Biofuels and bio-based chemicals from lignocellulose: metabolic engineering strategies in strain development. Biotechnol Lett 38, 213–221 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10529-015-1976-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10529-015-1976-0

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