Potential challenges and alternative approaches in metabolic engineering of bioactive compounds in industrial setup

Abstract

One of the greatest boons of biotechnology is to provide ways and means to produce different byproducts by using living cells like Escherichia coli, Bacillus, Corynebacterium glutamicum, yeast and many others. These products include enzymes of industrial applications, secondary metabolites for clinical applications, antibodies, L-amino acids, chemicals or fuels. By using tools of bioinformatics and genetic engineering, researchers are now able to dissect the biosynthetic pathways, which help them not only to understand the biology of metabolite production but also to modulate these pathways for improving quality and quantity of economically important bioactive compounds of clinical and industrial importance. Having said that, it is not easy to tame an organism to produce the desired byproduct. In the present chapter, we are discussing some of the potential challenges and available alternative approaches.