Frost, J. W. RECOMBINANT MICROBIAL SYNTHESIS
Departments of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824 (frostjw@cem.msu.edu)
The establishment of synthetic connections between carbohydrate starting materials and chemical products will be discussed. Syntheses of shikimic acid, phenol, hydroquinone, and adipic acid from glucose using recombinant microbial biocatalysts under fermentor conditions will be presented. Shikimic acid synthesis will illustrate the use of genetic manipulation of an existing biosynthetic pathway to delineate factors that limit yield in microbe-catalyzed syntheses when glucose is the starting material. Conversion of glucose into phenol and hydroquinone is an example of how microbial biocatalysis and chemical catalysis can be effectively interfaced to create new syntheses of building-block organic chemicals. Adipic acid synthesis from glucose provides a case study of the use of genetic manipulation to create new biosynthetic pathways in microbes.