Production of L-glutamate family amino acids in Corynebacterium glutamicum: Physiological mechanism, genetic modulation, and prospects

L-glutamate family amino acids (GFAAs), consisting of L-glutamate, L-arginine, L-citrulline, L-ornithine, L-proline, L-hydroxyproline, gamma-aminobutyric acid, and 5-aminolevulinic acid, are widely applied in the food, pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and animal feed industries, accounting for billions of dollars of market activity. These GFAAs have many functions, including being protein constituents, maintaining the urea cycle, and providing precursors for the biosynthesis of pharmaceuticals. Currently, the production of GFAAs mainly depends on microbial fermentation using Corynebacterium glutamicum (including its related subspecies Corynebacterium crenatum), which is substantially engineered through multistep metabolic engineering strategies. This review systematically summarizes recent advances in the metabolic pathways, regulatory mechanisms, and metabolic engineering strategies for GFAA accumulation in C. glutamicum and C. crenatum, which provides insights into the recent progress in L-glutamate-derived chemical production.