@article{bibcite_36658,
  keywords = {Beta-ketoadipate, Bioproduct, Lignin, Plant engineering, Shikimate pathway, Techno-economic analysis},
  author = {Sami Kazaz and Jaya Tripathi and Yang Tian and Halbay Turumtay and Dylan Chin and {\.I}rem Pamuk{\c c}u and Monikaben Nimavat and Emine Akyuz Turumtay and Edward E.K Baidoo and Corinne D Scown and Aymerick Eudes},
  title = {In planta production of the nylon precursor beta-ketoadipate},
  abstract = {<p>Beta-ketoadipate (βKA) is an intermediate of the βKA pathway involved in the degradation of aromatic compounds in several bacteria and fungi. Beta-ketoadipate also represents a promising chemical for the manufacturing of performance-advantaged nylons. We established a strategy for the in planta synthesis of βKA via manipulation of the shikimate pathway and the expression of bacterial enzymes from the βKA pathway. Using Nicotiana benthamiana as a transient expression system, we demonstrated the efficient conversion of protocatechuate (PCA) to βKA when plastid-targeted bacterial-derived PCA 3,4-dioxygenase (PcaHG) and 3-carboxy-cis,cis-muconate cycloisomerase (PcaB) were co-expressed with 3-deoxy-D-arabinoheptulosonate 7-phosphate synthase (AroG) and 3-dehydroshikimate dehydratase (QsuB). This metabolic pathway was reconstituted in Arabidopsis by introducing a construct (pAtβKA) with stacked pcaG, pcaH, and pcaB genes into a PCA-overproducing genetic background that expresses AroG and QsuB (referred as QsuB-2). The resulting QsuB-2 x pAtβKA stable lines displayed βKA titers as high as 0.25 \% on a dry weight basis in stems, along with a drastic reduction in lignin content and improvement of biomass saccharification efficiency compared to wild-type controls, and without any significant reduction in biomass yields. Using biomass sorghum as a potential crop for large-scale βKA production, techno-economic analysis indicated that βKA accumulated at titers of 0.25 \% and 4 \% on a dry weight basis could be competitively priced in the range of $2.04-34.49/kg and $0.47-2.12/kg, respectively, depending on the selling price of the residual biomass recovered after βKA extraction. This study lays the foundation for a more environmentally-friendly synthesis of βKA using plants as production hosts.</p>},
  year = {2025},
  booktitle = {Journal of Biotechnology},
  journal = {Journal of Biotechnology},
  series = {Journal of Biotechnology},
  volume = {404},
  pages = {102-111},
  month = {08/2025},
  institution = {Elsevier BV},
  publisher = {Elsevier BV},
  issn = {0168-1656},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbiotec.2025.04.008},
  doi = {10.1016/j.jbiotec.2025.04.008},
}