Overproduction of Phenolic Compounds in <i>Pseudomonas putida</i> KT2440 Through Endogen Deregulation of the Shikimate Pathway

Metabolic engineering of the shikimate pathway offers a promising strategy for enhancing the production of aromatic compounds in microbial hosts. However, feedback inhibition of key enzymes, such as the 3-deoxy-D-arabino-heptulosonate 7-phosphate synthase (DAHP synthase), often limits the yield of t...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: William Merre, Ricardo Andrade, Cyril Perot, Alexia Chandor-Proust, Caroline Ranquet
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-03-01
Series:BioChem
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2673-6411/5/1/4
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Metabolic engineering of the shikimate pathway offers a promising strategy for enhancing the production of aromatic compounds in microbial hosts. However, feedback inhibition of key enzymes, such as the 3-deoxy-D-arabino-heptulosonate 7-phosphate synthase (DAHP synthase), often limits the yield of target products. In this study, we focused on the DAHP synthase (AroF-I) from <i>Pseudomonas putida</i>. Through computational modeling and experimental validation, we identified specific amino-acid residues responsible for tyrosine-mediated feedback inhibition. By targeted mutagenesis, we engineered DAHP synthase variants that exhibit reduced sensitivity to feedback inhibition. The introduction of these engineered enzymes into a metabolically engineered <i>Pseudomonas putida</i> strain resulted in significantly increased production of p-coumaric acid. Our findings provide valuable insights into the regulation of the shikimate pathway and demonstrate the potential of protein engineering to improve microbial production of aromatic compounds.
ISSN:2673-6411