title: Bioengineering novel in vitro metabolic pathways using synthetic biology.
abstract: Huge numbers of enzymes have evolved in nature to function in aqueous environments at moderate temperatures and neutral pH. This gives us, in principle, the unique opportunity to construct multistep reaction systems of considerable catalytic complexity in vitro. However, this opportunity is rarely exploited beyond research scale, because such systems are difficult to assemble and to operate productively. Recent advances in DNA synthesis, genome engineering, high-throughput analytics, model-based analysis of biochemical systems and (semi-)rational protein engineering suggest that we have all the tools available to rationally design and efficiently operate such systems of enzymes, and finally harvest their potential for preparative syntheses.
authors.affiliation: Bioprocess Laboratory, ETH Zurich, Universitaetsstrasse 6, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Meyer
authors.forename: Rene
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Pellaux
authors.forename: Sven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Panke
mesh_terms: D001709:Biotechnology / Q000379:methods; D020650:Combinatorial Chemistry Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D000077425:Fondaparinux; D053858:Metabolic Networks and Pathways; D015394:Molecular Structure; D011134:Polysaccharides / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D011134:Polysaccharides; D000077425:Fondaparinux