Making small molecules in plants: A chassis for synthetic biology‐based production of plant natural products

• Published in: Journal of integrative plant biology 2023-02, Vol.65 (2), p.417-443
• Main Authors: Liu, Xinyu, Zhang, Peijun, Zhao, Qiao, Huang, Ancheng C.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Biology; Biosynthesis; Engineering; Host plants; Medicinal plants; Natural products; Phenylpropanoids; plant engineering; Sustainable production; Synthetic biology; Terpenes
• ISSN: 1672-9072; 1744-7909
• DOI: 10.1111/jipb.13330

Plant natural products have been extensively exploited in food, medicine, flavor, cosmetic, renewable fuel, and other industrial sectors. Synthetic biology has recently emerged as a promising means for the cost‐effective and sustainable production of natural products. Compared with engineering microbes for the production of plant natural products, the potential of plants as chassis for producing these compounds is underestimated, largely due to challenges encountered in engineering plants. Knowledge in plant engineering is instrumental for enabling the effective and efficient production of valuable phytochemicals in plants, and also paves the way for a more sustainable future agriculture. In this manuscript, we briefly recap the biosynthesis of plant natural products, focusing primarily on industrially important terpenoids, alkaloids, and phenylpropanoids. We further summarize the plant hosts and strategies that have been used to engineer the production of natural products. The challenges and opportunities of using plant synthetic biology to achieve rapid and scalable production of high‐value plant natural products are also discussed. This review highlights the potential of using plants as chassis to produce industrially important natural products (terpenoids, alkaloids, and phenylpropanoids). Comprehensive engineering strategies to achieve rapid and scalable production of high‐value natural products in plants are discussed.