Myxobacteria: Versatile cell factories of novel commercial enzymes for bio-manufacturing

Abstract

Microbial cell factories for the production of high-quality commercial-grade enzymes have accelerated the development of advanced bio-manufacturing approaches, which in turn are environmentally friendly and sustainable. Myxobacteria, a term commonly used to refer to a group within the Myxococcota phylum, are of great interest for their biotechnological applications due to their ability to synthesize a wide range of natural products and lytic enzymes. These traits are essential for the development of robust expression systems. However, myxobacteria have remained an underexploited resource with industrial relevance. Nevertheless, a growing number of food and industrial enzymes have been identified, highlighting myxobacteria as suitable platforms for exploring enzymes with commercial applications, including biomass conversion. Yet, the discovered lytic enzymes are just the tip of the iceberg given their large genomes and diversity across myxobacteria taxa. Despite holding much promise, challenges in genetic engineering, slow growth, and limitations in metabolic remodeling and expression strategies have limited the construction of myxobacterial cell factories. In this review, we highlight recent advances in the discovery of new myxobacterial enzymes and biomass conversion resources, focusing on their potential applications in agriculture and industry. We describe how myxobacteria and their enzymes can be identified through bioprospecting and computational approaches and summarize current biotechnological applications and synthetic biology strategies for bio-manufacturing. Finally, we discuss the promising potential of myxobacteria as industrial cell factories and address open research questions and future directions.