Expanding the terpene biosynthetic code with non-canonical 16 carbon atom building blocks

Humankind relies on specialized metabolites for medicines, flavors, fragrances, and numerous other valuable biomaterials. However, the chemical space occupied by specialized metabolites, and, thus, their application potential, is limited because their biosynthesis is based on only a handful of building blocks. Engineering organisms to synthesize alternative building blocks will bypass this limitation and enable the sustainable production of molecules with non-canonical chemical structures, expanding the possible applications. Herein, we focus on isoprenoids and combine synthetic biology with protein engineering to construct yeast cells that synthesize 10 non-canonical isoprenoid building blocks with 16 carbon atoms. We identify suitable terpene synthases to convert these building blocks into C-16 scaffolds and a cytochrome P450 to decorate the terpene scaffolds and produce different oxygenated compounds. Thus, we reconstruct the modular structure of terpene biosynthesis on 16-carbon backbones, synthesizing 28 different non-canonical terpenes, some of which have interesting odorant properties. Establishing methods to access the chemical space that lies beyond canonical terpenoid biosynthesis will increase the applications of isoprenoids. Here, the authors reconstruct the modular structure of terpene biosynthesis on 16-carbon backbones by engineered yeast and synthesize 28 different unique terpenes.