Emerging trends in production of plant natural products and new-to-nature biopharmaceuticals in yeast

Abstract

Natural products represent an inestimable source of valuable compounds for human health. Notably, those produced by plants remain challenging to access due to their low production. Potential shortages of plant-derived biopharmaceuticals caused by climate change or pandemics also regularly tense the market trends. Thus, biotechnological alternatives of supply based on synthetic biology have emerged. These innovative strategies mostly rely on the use of engineered microbial systems for compound synthesis. In this regard, yeasts remain the easiest-tractable eukaryotic models and a convenient chassis for reconstructing whole biosynthetic routes for the heterologous production of plant-derived metabolites. Here, we highlight the recent discoveries dedicated to the bioproduction of new-to-nature compounds in yeasts and provide an overview of emerging strategies for optimising bioproduction.