Nervonic acid (NA) is a very-long-chain monounsaturated fatty acid with great application values. It plays a vital role in the development of brain nervous system and the treatment of neurological diseases, so it has attracted much attention from all walks of life. Although NA has a wide range of sources, its current acquisition methods are still mainly relied on chemical synthesis and plant extraction, which are challenging to meet the market and green industry demands, limiting its development and application. In recent years, with the rapid development of synthetic biology technology, NA biosynthesis has become an alternative production strategy. In this study, we summarize the physicochemical properties, pharmacological activities, resources, biosynthetic pathways and heterologous biosynthesis of NA, and discuss the challenges and prospects of NA biosynthesis. The application prospects of cell-free systems and retrobiosynthesis in NA synthesis were also reviewed.
Keywords: 3-ketoacyl-CoA synthase; biosynthesis; cell-free system; nervonic acid.