Metabolic engineering for tobacco quality improvement: Advances and perspectives

IF 4.2 Q2 BIOTECHNOLOGY & APPLIED MICROBIOLOGY

Metabolic Engineering Communications Pub Date : 2026-06-01 Epub Date: 2026-05-28 DOI:10.1016/j.mec.2026.e00281

Jie Liu , Qi Sheng , Kejuan Zhang , Jun Zhang , Xinsheng Li

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Abstract

As a major cash crop, tobacco quality improvement is constrained by the limited effectiveness of conventional approaches, including traditional breeding and agronomic regulation. This review focuses on the application of metabolic engineering to enable precise and targeted modulation of tobacco quality traits. We first analyze the key factors and underlying mechanisms governing aroma, health-related components, functional metabolites, and combustion characteristics. We then summarize recent advances in metabolic engineering strategies, including pathway rewiring, metabolic flux redistribution, enzyme engineering, and regulatory-network modulation, for optimizing the biosynthesis and accumulation of target compounds such as terpenoids, polyphenols, and alkaloids. In addition, selected integrative approaches that support metabolic regulation and quality formation are briefly discussed. Finally, we highlight current challenges and outline future research directions to facilitate more precise and efficient improvement of tobacco quality.

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烟草品质改善的代谢工程：进展与展望

作为一种主要经济作物，烟草质量的改善受到传统方法（包括传统育种和农艺调控）有限效力的制约。本文综述了代谢工程技术在烟草品质性状精准调控中的应用。我们首先分析了控制香气、健康相关成分、功能代谢物和燃烧特性的关键因素和潜在机制。然后，我们总结了代谢工程策略的最新进展，包括途径重新布线，代谢通量重新分配，酶工程和调节网络调制，以优化萜类化合物，多酚和生物碱等目标化合物的生物合成和积累。此外，还简要讨论了支持代谢调节和质量形成的选择综合方法。最后，我们强调了当前面临的挑战，并概述了未来的研究方向，以促进更精确、更有效地提高烟草质量。

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来源期刊

Metabolic Engineering Communications Medicine-Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism

CiteScore

13.30

自引率

1.90%

发文量

审稿时长

18 weeks

期刊介绍： Metabolic Engineering Communications, a companion title to Metabolic Engineering (MBE), is devoted to publishing original research in the areas of metabolic engineering, synthetic biology, computational biology and systems biology for problems related to metabolism and the engineering of metabolism for the production of fuels, chemicals, and pharmaceuticals. The journal will carry articles on the design, construction, and analysis of biological systems ranging from pathway components to biological complexes and genomes (including genomic, analytical and bioinformatics methods) in suitable host cells to allow them to produce novel compounds of industrial and medical interest. Demonstrations of regulatory designs and synthetic circuits that alter the performance of biochemical pathways and cellular processes will also be presented. Metabolic Engineering Communications complements MBE by publishing articles that are either shorter than those published in the full journal, or which describe key elements of larger metabolic engineering efforts.