Photosynthetic Production of Sunscreen Shinorine Using an Engineered Cyanobacterium

• DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.7b00397
• Publication Date: 2018-01-05T23:08:27Z
• Authors: Guang Yang; Monica A. Cozad; Destin A. Holland; Yi Zhang; Hendrik Luesch; Yousong Ding
• Keywords: Synechocystis; Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii; Gene cluster

Mycosporine-like amino acids (MAAs) are secondary metabolites of a variety marine organisms including cyanobacteria and macroalgae. These compounds have strong ultraviolet (UV) absorption maxima between 310 362 nm biological sunscreens for counteracting the damaging effects UV radiation in nature. The common MAA shinorine has been used as one key active ingredient environmentally friendly sunscreen creams. Commercially is isolated from red algae that generally harvested wild. Here, we describe use Synechocystis sp. PCC6803 host heterologous production shinorine. We mined gene cluster filamentous cyanobacterium Fischerella PCC9339. When expressing PCC6803, observed using LC-MS analysis, but its productivity was three times lower than native producer. Integrated transcriptional metabolic profiling identified rate-limiting steps multiple promoters led to 10-fold increase yield 2.37 ± 0.21 mg/g dry biomass weight, comparable commercially protection further confirmed engineered PCC6803. This work first time demonstrate photosynthetic overproduction MAA. results suggest can broad applications synthetic biology chassis produce other cyanobacterial natural products, expediting translation genomes into chemicals.