title: Versatility of hydrocarbon production in cyanobacteria.
abstract: Cyanobacteria are photosynthetic microorganisms using solar energy, H2O, and CO2as the primary inputs. Compared to plants and eukaryotic microalgae, cyanobacteria are easier to be genetically engineered and possess higher growth rate. Extensive genomic information and well-established genetic platform make cyanobacteria good candidates to build efficient biosynthetic pathways for biofuels and chemicals by genetic engineering. Hydrocarbons are a family of compounds consisting entirely of hydrogen and carbon. Structural diversity of the hydrocarbon family is enabled by variation in chain length, degree of saturation, and rearrangements of the carbon skeleton. The diversified hydrocarbons can be used as valuable chemicals in the field of food, fuels, pharmaceuticals, nutrition, and cosmetics. Hydrocarbon biosynthesis is ubiquitous in bacteria, yeasts, fungi, plants, and insects. A wide variety of pathways for the hydrocarbon biosynthesis have been identified in recent years. Cyanobacteria may be superior chassis for hydrocabon production in a photosynthetic manner. A diversity of hydrocarbons including ethylene, alkanes, alkenes, and terpenes can be produced by cyanobacteria. Metabolic engineering and synthetic biology strategies can be employed to improve hydrocarbon production in cyanobacteria. This review mainly summarizes versatility and perspectives of hydrocarbon production in cyanobacteria.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Synthetic Microbiology, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072, People's Republic of China.|Key Laboratory of Biofuels, Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 189 Songling Road, Qingdao, 266101, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Min
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Biofuels, Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 189 Songling Road, Qingdao, 266101, People's Republic of China. wangwh@qibebt.ac.cn.|Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Energy Genetics, Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 189 Songling Road, Qingdao, 266101, People's Republic of China. wangwh@qibebt.ac.cn.
authors.forename: Weihua
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Synthetic Microbiology, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Weiwen
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Synthetic Microbiology, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Biofuels, Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 189 Songling Road, Qingdao, 266101, People's Republic of China. lvxf@qibebt.ac.cn.|Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Synthetic Biology, Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 189 Songling Road, Qingdao, 266101, People's Republic of China. lvxf@qibebt.ac.cn.
authors.forename: Xuefeng
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Lu
mesh_terms: D000473:Alkanes / Q000378:metabolism; D056804:Biofuels; D053898:Biosynthetic Pathways / Q000235:genetics; D000458:Cyanobacteria / Q000378:metabolism*; D005030:Ethylenes / Q000096:biosynthesis; D006838:Hydrocarbons / Q000378:metabolism*; D060847:Metabolic Engineering; D058615:Synthetic Biology; D013729:Terpenes / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000473:Alkanes; D056804:Biofuels; D005030:Ethylenes; D006838:Hydrocarbons; D013729:Terpenes
keywords: Alkane; Cyanobacteria; Ethylene; Hydrocarbon; Metabolic engineering; Terpene