title: Recent trends in metabolic engineering of microorganisms for the production of advanced biofuels.
abstract: As climate change has become one of the major global risks, our heavy dependence on petroleum-derived fuels has received much public attention. To solve such problems, production of sustainable fuels has been intensively studied over the past years. Thanks to recent advances in synthetic biology and metabolic engineering technologies, bio-based platforms for advanced biofuels production have been developed using various microorganisms. The strategies for production of advanced biofuels have converged upon four major metabolic routes: the 2-ketoacid pathway, the fatty acid synthesis (FAS) pathway, the isoprenoid pathway, and the reverse β-oxidation pathway. Additionally, the polyketide synthesis pathway has recently been attracting interest as a promising alternative biofuel production route. In this article, recent trends in advanced biofuels production are reviewed by categorizing them into three types of advanced biofuels: alcohols, biodiesel and jet fuel, and gasoline. Focus is given on the strategies of employing synthetic biology and metabolic engineering for the development of microbial strains producing advanced fuels. Finally, the prospects for future advances needed to achieve much more efficient bio-based production of advanced biofuels are discussed, focusing on designing advanced biofuel production pathways coupled with screening, modifying, and creating novel enzymes.
authors.affiliation: Metabolic and Biomolecular Engineering National Research Laboratory, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering (BK21 Plus Program), BioProcess Engineering Research Center, Center for Systems and Synthetic Biotechnology, and Institute for the BioCentury, KAIST, 291 Daehak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Seungwoo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cheon
authors.affiliation: Metabolic and Biomolecular Engineering National Research Laboratory, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering (BK21 Plus Program), BioProcess Engineering Research Center, Center for Systems and Synthetic Biotechnology, and Institute for the BioCentury, KAIST, 291 Daehak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Hye Mi
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Metabolic and Biomolecular Engineering National Research Laboratory, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering (BK21 Plus Program), BioProcess Engineering Research Center, Center for Systems and Synthetic Biotechnology, and Institute for the BioCentury, KAIST, 291 Daehak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea; KTH Royal Institute of Technology, School of Biotechnology, Division of Industrial Biotechnology, AlbaNova University Center, 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gustavsson
authors.affiliation: Metabolic and Biomolecular Engineering National Research Laboratory, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering (BK21 Plus Program), BioProcess Engineering Research Center, Center for Systems and Synthetic Biotechnology, and Institute for the BioCentury, KAIST, 291 Daehak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea. Electronic address: leesy@kaist.ac.kr.
authors.forename: Sang Yup
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Lee
mesh_terms: D000438:Alcohols / Q000737:chemistry; D056804:Biofuels; D060847:Metabolic Engineering; D064307:Microbiota
chemical_list: D000438:Alcohols; D056804:Biofuels