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Evidence-Based Supplement Research
Evidence-Based Supplement Research

Biotechnological production and application of epsilon-poly-L-lysine (ε-PL): biosynthesis and its metabolic regulation.

  • 2022-05-31
  • World journal of microbiology & biotechnology 38(7)
    • Dahong Wang
    • Hemin Wang
    • Jinpeng Wu
    • Yuxin Hou
    • Jianrui Sun
    • Jiangfeng Yuan
    • Shaobin Gu

Study Design

Type
Review
Epsilon-poly-L-lysine (ε-PL) is an unusual biopolymer composed of L-lysine produced by several microorganisms, especially by the genus Streptomyces. Due to its excellent antimicrobial activity, good water solubility, high safety, and biodegradable nature, ε-PL with a GRAS status has been widely used in food and pharmaceutical industries. In the past years, studies have focused on the biotechnological production of ɛ-PL, the biosynthetic mechanism of microbial ɛ-PL, and its application. To provide new perspectives from recent advances, the review introduced the methods for the isolation of ɛ-PL producing strains and the biosynthetic mechanism of microbial ɛ-PL. We summarized the strategies for the improvement of ɛ-PL producing strains, including physical and chemical mutagenesis, ribosome engineering and gene engineering, and compared the different metabolic regulation strategies for improving ɛ-PL production, including medium optimization, nutrient supply, pH control, and dissolved oxygen control. Then, the downstream purification methods of ɛ-PL and its recent applications in food and medicine industries were introduced. Finally, we also proposed the potential challenges and the perspectives for the production of ε-PL.

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