Advances in the Microbial Synthesis of 5-Hydroxytryptophan

Xin-Xin Liu; Bin Zhang; Lian-Zhong Ai

doi:10.3389/fbioe.2021.624503

Advances in the Microbial Synthesis of 5-Hydroxytryptophan

Front Bioeng Biotechnol. 2021 Feb 3:9:624503. doi: 10.3389/fbioe.2021.624503. eCollection 2021.

Authors

Xin-Xin Liu¹, Bin Zhang², Lian-Zhong Ai¹

Affiliations

¹ Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Food Microbiology, School of Medical Instrument and Food Engineering, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, Shanghai, China.
² College of Bioscience and Bioengineering, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang, China.

Abstract

5-Hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP) plays an important role in the regulation of emotion, behavior, sleep, pain, body temperature, and other physiological functions. It is used in the treatment of depression, insomnia, migraine, and other diseases. Due to a lack of effective biosynthesis methods, 5-HTP is mainly obtained by natural extraction, which has been unable to meet the needs of the market. Through the directed evolution of enzymes and the introduction of substrate supply pathways, 5-HTP biosynthesis and yield increase have been realized. This review provides examples that illustrate the production mode of 5-HTP and the latest progress in microbial synthesis.

Keywords: 5-hydroxytryptophan; L-trp; biosynthesis; tetrahydrobiopterin; tryptophan hydroxylase.

Publication types

Review