Expanding Metabolism for Total Biosynthesis of the Nonnatural Amino Acid L-Homoalanine
Expanding metabolism for total biosynthesis of the nonnatural amino acid L-homoalanine Kechun Zhanga, Han Lib, Kwang Myung Choa, and James C. Liaoa,b,c,1 aDepartment of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095; bMolecular Biology Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095; and cInstitute for Genomics and Proteomics, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095 Edited by James A. Wells, University of California, San Francisco, CA, and approved January 25, 2010 (received for review November 8, 2009) The dramatic increase in healthcare cost has become a significant L-glutamate, L-lysine, and L-threonine are produced more than burden to the world. Many patients are denied the accessibility of 2 million tons annually (5). Unlike natural amino acids, total bio- medication because of the high price of drugs. Total biosynthesis of synthesis of nonnatural amino acids from simple sugars encoun- chiral drug intermediates is an environmentally friendly approach ters significant technical challenges: First, artificial metabolic that helps provide more affordable pharmaceuticals. Here we have pathways have to be designed to expand the metabolic capability expanded the natural metabolic capability to biosynthesize a non- of cells (8); second, optimizing the designed unique metabolic natural amino acid L-homoalanine, which is a chiral precursor of pathways requires extensive protein evolution (9); third, meta- levetiracetam, brivaracetam, and ethambutol. We developed a se- bolic flux should be driven to the production of the target com- lection strategy and altered the substrate specificity of ammonium- pounds (10). We have successfully addressed these problems and assimilating enzyme glutamate dehydrogenase.
[Show full text]