Progress and prospect: Biosynthesis of plant natural products based on plant chassis

Abstract

Plant-derived natural products are a specific class of active substances with numerous applications in the medical, energy, and industrial fields. Many of these substances are in high demand and have become the fundamental materials for various purposes. Recently, the use of synthetic biology to produce plant-derived natural products has become a significant trend. Plant chassis, in particular, offer unique advantages over microbial chassis in terms of cell structure, product affinity, safety, and storage. The development of the plant hairy root tissue culture system has accelerated the commercialization and industrialization of synthetic biology in the production of plant-derived natural products. This paper will present recent progress in the synthesis of various plant natural products using plant chassis, organized by the types of different structures. Additionally, we will summarize the four primary types of plant chassis used for synthesizing natural products from plant sources and review the enabling technologies that have contributed to the development of synthetic biology in recent years. Finally, we will present the role of isolated and combined use of different optimization strategies in breaking the upper limit of natural product production in plant chassis. This review aims to provide practical references for synthetic biologists and highlight the great commercial potential of plant chassis biosynthesis, such as hairy roots.