STTR Phase I: Microbial Production of Catechins

这个小企业技术转让（STTR）第一阶段项目建议建立具有成本效益的方法，利用微生物发酵方法有效生产儿茶素。 儿茶素的生物合成的初步工作，使用代谢工程大肠杆菌重组菌株从他们的黄烷酮和苯丙酸前体，已经证明了这种生物经济的方法的可行性。 阐明黄烷-3-醇生物合成途径的可能的生化调节，并优化生物合成酶的表达，将导致改善这些重要的黄烷-3-醇产物的生产。这种微生物发酵策略将有助于通过利用合成生物学和代谢工程原理以及其他新兴生物技术的生物制造方法来提高这种有益儿茶素的生产。如果成功，该项目更广泛的影响/商业潜力将是儿茶素的微生物生产，这将有利于环境和社会。 在环境方面，发酵方法消除了通常与从植物中提取儿茶素相关的溶剂浪费问题。 拟议的工作将为理解生物合成途径奠定基础，并导致儿茶素的生物经济生产。 创新和理解的生化途径和表达优化的酶将有助于服务于潜在的数十亿美元的全球市场的高纯度儿茶素作为保健产品，食品配料，和其他治疗应用。

This Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase I project proposes to establish cost effective methodologies for the efficient production of catechins utilizing a microbial fermentation approach. Preliminary work on the biosynthesis of the catechins, using metabolically engineered Escherichia coli recombinant strains from their flavanone and phenylpropanoid acid precursors, has demonstrated feasibility of this bio-economic approach. Elucidating the possible biochemical regulation of the flavan-3-ol biosynthetic pathway, and optimizing the expression of the biosynthetic enzymes, will result in improving the production of these important flavan-3-ol products. This microbial fermentation strategy will help enhance the production of such beneficial catechins through a biomanufactuing approach utilizing principles of synthetic biology and metabolic engineering and other emerging biotechnologies. The broader impact/commercial potential of this project, if successful, will be microbial production of catechins, which will benefit the environment and society. On the environmental front, the fermentation approach eliminates a solvent waste problem typically associated with extraction of catechins from botanicals. The proposed work will set the stage for understanding the biosynthetic pathway and result in a bioeconomic production of the catechins. Innovation and understanding of the biochemical pathways and expression optimization of the enzymes will help serve the potentially multi-billion dollar global market for high purity catechins as health care products, food ingredients, and other therapeutic applications.