Overcoming barriers to medium-chain fatty alcohol production

Abstract

Medium-chain fatty alcohols (^mcFaOHs) are aliphatic primary alcohols containing six to twelve carbons that are widely used in materials, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics. Microbial biosynthesis has been touted as a route to less-abundant chain-length molecules and as a sustainable alternative to current petrochemical processes. Several metabolic engineering strategies for producing ^mcFaOHs have been demonstrated in the literature, yet processes continue to suffer from poor selectivity and ^mcFaOH toxicity, leading to reduced titers, rates, and yields of the desired compounds. This opinion examines the current state of microbial ^mcFaOH biosynthesis, summarizing engineering efforts to tailor selectivity and improve product tolerance by implementing engineering strategies that circumvent or overcome ^mcFaOH toxicity.