Synthetic biology is a field of scientific research that applies engineering principles to living organisms and living systems. Recent advances in synthetic biology, particularly in the programmable control of gene expression at multiple levels of regulation, have significantly increased our ability to efficiently design and optimize biological systems to perform designed tasks. For instance, implementation of these designs in biological systems facilitates the use of these tools to establish microbial cell factories for the production of chemicals.
Production Methods of Biosynthetic Chemicals
Synthetic biology helps with production of biosynthetic chemicals mainly in the following two methods:
Enzymic reaction
Fermentation
Enzymic reaction is a biochemical decomposition reaction that is catalyzed by an enzyme. Instead of chemical catalysts, enzymes can serve as efficient catalysts for complex synthesis. Enzymatic reactions constitute a new and developing field in organic synthesis and they have been successfully applied to 1,3-dithiole derivatives for the first time.
The total number of different enzymes in the biosphere is staggering. At the same time, all of these enzymes catalyze different sets of similar reactions. To bring order to the world of enzyme catalysis, the IUBMB classified enzymes into 7 types based on the types of chemical reactions they catalyze[1].
| Class | Type | Description |
|---|
| EC 1 | Oxidoreductases | Redox reactions |
| EC 2 | Transferases | Transfer/exchange of group from one molecule to another |
| EC 3 | Hydrolases | Hydrolysis reactions |
| EC 4 | Lyases | Elimination forming double bond |
| EC 5 | Isomerases | Conversions of geometric, stereo- or constitutive isomers |
| EC 6 | Ligases | Condensation of two molecules into one |
| EC 7 | Translocases | Movement of species across a semipermeable membrane |
Fermentation involves a complex system of reactions brought about by microorganisms that may be present simultaneously. The fermentation products differed with different microorganisms, being governed in the main by the microorganisms and the environmental conditions.
Although in the biochemical context the word "fermentation" describes the anaerobic metabolic process of partial oxidation of organic compounds, in the industrial field it refers to either aerobic or anaerobic processes. Nowadays fermentation is a developed technology used in many sectors, for example, in the production of bulk and fine chemicals. Some examples are listed below[2]:
- Filamentous fungi are used for production of organic acids, where citric acid production by Aspergillus niger is a well-known example.
- Penicillin, the first antibiotic that was discovered, is produced at large scale by fermentation of Penicillium chrysogenum.
- Recombinant proteins such as insulin are produced by fermentation with Escherichia coli and the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
- Fermentation also plays a prominent role in 2nd generation bioethanol production processes.
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References
- Henry Jakubowski and Patricia Flatt. Enzymatic Reaction Mechanisms. LibreTexts Biology, 2023.
- Krist V. Gernaey. 12th International Symposium on Process Systems Engineering and 25th European Symposium on Computer Aided Process Engineering. Computer Aided Chemical Engineering, 2015.
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