Synthetic Biology Approaches for Organic Synthesis

Advances in DNA technologies, metagenomics, and bioinformatics have enabled the use of biological systems (i.e., enzymes, metabolic pathways, and cells) for chemical synthesis and production of chemicals from renewable resources such as plant sugars. The authors review these basic technologies, illustrate their connection to synthetic chemistry, and provide examples of enzyme and metabolic engineering for the synthesis of organic molecules with high efficiency and selectivity. Finally, the authors anticipate the potential for increased integration of engineered enzymes in metabolic pathways as well as the creation of enzymes with completely novel activities to expand the biosynthetic capabilities.