title: Microbial Synthesis of Alka(e)nes.
abstract: Alka(e)nes are the predominant constituents of gasoline, diesel, and jet fuels. They can be produced naturally by a wide range of microorganisms. Bio-alka(e)nes can be used as drop-in biofuels. To date, five microbial pathways that convert free fatty acids or fatty acid derivatives into alka(e)nes have been identified or reconstituted. The discoveries open a door to achieve microbial production of alka(e)nes with high efficiency. The modules derived from these alka(e)ne biosynthetic pathways can be assembled as biological parts and synthetic biology strategies can be employed to optimize the metabolic pathways and improve alka(e)ne production.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Biofuels, Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Energy Genetics, Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences , Qingdao , China.
authors.forename: Weihua
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Biofuels, Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Energy Genetics, Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences , Qingdao , China.
authors.forename: Xuefeng
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Lu
keywords: alka(e)nes; combinatorial biosynthesis; metabolic pathways; microbial synthesis; synthetic biology