Nondiazotrophic cyanobacteria metabolic engineering for succinate and lactate production

Abstract

Cyanobacteria are a group of bacteria characterized by performing oxygenic photosynthesis. The CO2 fixation ability of cyanobacteria is in the spotlight because of the growing demand for low-carbon technology. Fixed CO2 is stored as polysaccharides within cyanobacterial cells and metabolized into various compounds to serve as a carbon source. Among these compounds are carboxylic acids, such as succinate and lactate, which are core building blocks for the production of food additives, bioplastics, and pharmaceuticals. This review introduces recent progress in the production of carboxylic acids through genetic and metabolic engineering in cyanobacteria.