Escherichia coli as a host for metabolic engineering

Sammy Pontrelli; Tsan-Yu Chiu; Ethan I Lan; Frederic Y-H Chen; Peiching Chang; James C Liao

doi:10.1016/j.ymben.2018.04.008

Escherichia coli as a host for metabolic engineering

Metab Eng. 2018 Nov:50:16-46. doi: 10.1016/j.ymben.2018.04.008. Epub 2018 Apr 22.

Authors

Sammy Pontrelli¹, Tsan-Yu Chiu², Ethan I Lan³, Frederic Y-H Chen⁴, Peiching Chang⁵, James C Liao⁶

Affiliations

¹ Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles, USA.
² Institute of Biological Chemistry, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan.
³ Department of Biological Science and Technology, National Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu, Taiwan.
⁴ Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles, USA; Institute of Biological Chemistry, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan.
⁵ Department of Chemical Engineering, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan; Material and Chemical Research Laboratories, Industrial Technology Research Institute, Hsinchu, Taiwan.
⁶ Institute of Biological Chemistry, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan. Electronic address: liaoj@gate.sinica.edu.tw.

PMID: 29689382
DOI: 10.1016/j.ymben.2018.04.008

Abstract

Over the past century, Escherichia coli has become one of the best studied organisms on earth. Features such as genetic tractability, favorable growth conditions, well characterized biochemistry and physiology, and availability of versatile genetic manipulation tools make E. coli an ideal platform host for development of industrially viable productions. In this review, we discuss the physiological attributes of E. coli that are most relevant for metabolic engineering, as well as emerging techniques that enable efficient phenotype construction. Further, we summarize the large number of native and non-native products that have been synthesized by E. coli, and address some of the future challenges in broadening substrate range and fighting phage infection.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Escherichia coli / genetics*
Escherichia coli / metabolism*
Metabolic Engineering / methods*