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Acetyl-CoA-derived biofuel and biochemical production in cyanobacteria: a mini review

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Abstract

Cyanobacteria, as photosynthetic bacteria, can generate energy and carbon sources directly from sunlight and atmospheric carbon dioxide. With the aid of genetic engineering, heterologous enzymes and/or pathways have been introduced into cyanobacteria, enabling the production of various biofuels and biochemicals. By utilizing cyanobacteria as production hosts, biofuels and biochemicals can be produced directly from carbon dioxide, and ultimately carbon dioxide fixation by cyanobacteria can help reduce atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration, alleviating global warming and air pollution. In this review, we introduce various biofuels and biochemicals produced, particularly from acetyl-CoA by cyanobacteria, and summarize research strategies that have been made to improve their production. This review will provide comprehensive information and valuable insights into strategies for enhancing cyanobacterial biofuels/chemicals production.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the reviewers for providing such valuable comments and leading us to an improvement of our work.

Funding

This work was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) grant funded by the Korea government (MSIP) (No. 2019008680) and by Basic Science Research Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) grant funded by the Ministry of Education (No.2018R1A6A3A11048291). This work was also supported by Human Resources Program in Energy Technology of the Korea Institute of Energy Technology Evaluation and Planning (KETEP), funded by the Ministry of Trade, Industry & Energy, Republic of Korea (No. 20194030202330).

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  1. Department of Chemical Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology, Cheongam-Ro, Nam-Gu, Pohang, Gyeongbuk, 790-784, South Korea

    Yun-Nam Choi, Jeong Wook Lee & Jong Moon Park

  2. School of Interdisciplinary Bioscience and Bioengineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology, Cheongam-Ro, Nam-Gu, Pohang, Gyeongbuk, 790-784, South Korea

    Jeong Wook Lee, Jeong Woo Kim & Jong Moon Park

  3. School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology, Cheongam-Ro, Nam-Gu, Pohang, Gyeongbuk, 790-784, South Korea

    Jong Moon Park

  4. Division of Advanced Nuclear Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology, Cheongam-Ro, Nam-Gu, Pohang, Gyeongbuk, 790-784, South Korea

    Jong Moon Park

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  1. Yun-Nam Choi
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Choi, YN., Lee, J.W., Kim, J.W. et al. Acetyl-CoA-derived biofuel and biochemical production in cyanobacteria: a mini review. J Appl Phycol 32, 1643–1653 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10811-020-02128-x

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