Recent Progress in Metabolic Engineering of Escherichia coli for the Production of Various C4 and C5-Dicarboxylic Acids

As an alternative to petrochemical synthesis, well-establishedindustrial microbes, such as Escherichia coli, areemployed to produce a wide range of chemicals, including dicarboxylicacids (DCAs), which have significant potential in diverse areas includingbiodegradable polymers. The demand for biodegradable polymers hasbeen steadily rising, prompting the development of efficient productionpathways on four- (C4) and five-carbon (C5) DCAs derived from centralcarbon metabolism to meet the increased demand via the biosynthesis.In this context, E. coli is utilized to produce theseDCAs through various metabolic engineering strategies, including thedesign or selection of metabolic pathways, pathway optimization, andenhancement of catalytic activity. This review aims to highlight therecent advancements in metabolic engineering techniques for the productionof C4 and C5 DCAs in E. coli.