4-Hydroxybenzoic acid (4-HBA) has recently emerged as a promising intermediate for several value-added bioproducts with potential biotechnological applications in food, cosmetics, pharmacy, fungicides, etc. Over the past years, a variety of biosynthetic techniques have been developed for producing the 4-HBA and 4-HBA-based products. At this juncture, synthetic biology and metabolic engineering approaches enabled the biosynthesis of 4-HBA to address the increasing demand for high-value bioproducts. This review summarizes the biosynthesis of a variety of industrially pertinent compounds such as resveratrol, muconic acid, gastrodin, xiamenmycin, and vanillyl alcohol using 4-HBA as the starting feedstock. Moreover, potential research activities with a close-up look at the future perspectives to produce new compounds using 4-HBA have also been discussed.
Keywords: 4-Hydroxybenzoic acid; Bioproducts; Metabolic engineering; Platform intermediate; Synthetic biology.