title: Bioengineering of plant (tri)terpenoids: from metabolic engineering of plants to synthetic biology in vivo and in vitro.
abstract: Terpenoids constitute a large and diverse class of natural products that serve many functions in nature. Most of the tens of thousands of the discovered terpenoids are synthesized by plants, where they function as primary metabolites involved in growth and development, or as secondary metabolites that optimize the interaction between the plant and its environment. Several plant terpenoids are economically important molecules that serve many applications as pharmaceuticals, pesticides, etc. Major challenges for the commercialization of plant-derived terpenoids include their low production levels in planta and the continuous demand of industry for novel molecules with new or superior biological activities. Here, we highlight several synthetic biology methods to enhance and diversify the production of plant terpenoids, with a foresight towards triterpenoid engineering, the least engineered class of bioactive terpenoids. Increased or cheaper production of valuable triterpenoids may be obtained by 'classic' metabolic engineering of plants or by heterologous production of the compounds in other plants or microbes. Novel triterpenoid structures can be generated through combinatorial biosynthesis or directed enzyme evolution approaches. In its ultimate form, synthetic biology may lead to the production of large amounts of plant triterpenoids in in vitro systems or custom-designed artificial biological systems.
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Systems Biology, VIB, Technologiepark 927, B-9052, Gent, Belgium.|Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent University, Technologiepark 927, B-9052, Gent, Belgium.|Department of Molecular Microbiology, VIB, Kasteelpark Arenberg 31, B-3001, Leuven, Heverlee, Belgium.|Laboratory of Molecular Cell Biology, Institute of Botany and Microbiology, KU Leuven, Kasteelpark Arenberg 31, B-3001, Leuven, Heverlee, Belgium.
authors.forename: Tessa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Moses
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Systems Biology, VIB, Technologiepark 927, B-9052, Gent, Belgium.|Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent University, Technologiepark 927, B-9052, Gent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Jacob
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pollier
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Microbiology, VIB, Kasteelpark Arenberg 31, B-3001, Leuven, Heverlee, Belgium.|Laboratory of Molecular Cell Biology, Institute of Botany and Microbiology, KU Leuven, Kasteelpark Arenberg 31, B-3001, Leuven, Heverlee, Belgium.
authors.forename: Johan M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Thevelein
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Systems Biology, VIB, Technologiepark 927, B-9052, Gent, Belgium.|Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent University, Technologiepark 927, B-9052, Gent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Alain
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Goossens
mesh_terms: D001688:Biological Products; D060847:Metabolic Engineering; D010944:Plants / Q000737:chemistry*; D058615:Synthetic Biology; D013729:Terpenes; D014315:Triterpenes
chemical_list: D001688:Biological Products; D013729:Terpenes; D014315:Triterpenes
keywords: bioengineering; combinatorial biosynthesis; directed enzyme evolution; heterologous biosynthesis; secondary metabolism; synthetic biology; terpenoids; triterpenoids