Synthetic pathways and processes for effective production of 5-hydroxytryptophan and serotonin from glucose in Escherichia coli.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Tryptophan derivatives such as 5-hydroxytryptophan (5HTP) and serotonin are valuable molecules with pharmaceutical interest. 5HTP is presently mainly obtained by extraction from the plant Griffonia simplicifolia and serotonin is produced by chemical synthesis. A simple biotechnological method for the production of these compounds is desired.

Results

In a first attempt to synthesize serotonin from glucose, we used a single engineered Escherichia coli strain and observed a low production of maximal 0.8 ± 0.2 mg/L of serotonin, probably due to the undesired site-reaction of direct decarboxylation of tryptophan and the consequent decrease of the precursor 5HTP. To circumvent this problem, we have constructed a stepwise system in which the 5HTP production

SUBMITTER: Mora-Villalobos JA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5856393 | biostudies-literature | 2018

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature