Engineering the diversity of polyesters

Abstract

Many bacteria have been found to produce various polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) biopolyesters. In many cases, it is not easy to control the structures of PHA including homopolymers, random copolymers and block copolymers as well as ratios of monomers in the copolymers. It has become possible to engineer bacteria for controllable synthesis of PHA with the desirable structures by creating new PHA synthesis pathways. Remarkably, the weakening of β-oxidation cycle in Pseudomonas putida and Pseudomonas entomophila led to controllable synthesis of all kinds of PHA structures including monomer ratios in random and/or block copolymers when fatty acids are used as PHA precursors. Introduction of functional groups into PHA polymer chains in predefined proportions has become a reality provided fatty acids containing the functional groups are taken up by the bacteria for PHA synthesis. This allows the formation of functional PHA for further grafting. The PHA diversity is further widened by the endless possibility of controllable homopolymerization, random copolymerization, block copolymerization and grafting on functional PHA site chains.