Sustainable production of glutaric acid in microbial cell factories: Current advances and future prospects

Jie Liu; Dan Mei; Xuan-Jun Zhang; Wei-Guo Zhang; Long-Bao Zhu

doi:10.1016/j.synbio.2026.01.003

Sustainable production of glutaric acid in microbial cell factories: Current advances and future prospects

Synth Syst Biotechnol. 2026 Jan 23:13:50-60. doi: 10.1016/j.synbio.2026.01.003. eCollection 2026 Sep.

Authors

Jie Liu^{1

2}, Dan Mei¹, Xuan-Jun Zhang¹, Wei-Guo Zhang², Long-Bao Zhu¹

Affiliations

¹ School of Biological and Food Engineering, Anhui Polytechnic University, 18Beijing Middle Road, WuHu, 241000, People's Republic of China.
² The Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, School of Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, 1800 Lihu Road, WuXi, 214122, People's Republic of China.

Abstract

Glutaric acid is a significant C5 dicarboxylic acid, extensively utilized in the chemical industry, medicine, and biomaterials. In recent years, the advancement of synthetic biology and metabolic engineering has rendered microbial production of glutaric acid a sustainable alternative to conventional chemical synthesis. This study reviews recent advancements in glutaric acid biosynthesis, primarily concentrating on the design of biosynthetic pathways and metabolic engineering strategies for the development of engineered strains. The utilization of systems biology technologies in the development of the glutaric acid biosynthetic pathway is examined. This study outlines the issues associated with glutaric acid biosynthesis and its prospective developmental trajectory, intending to offer theoretical insights and technological guidance for the sustainable production of glutaric acid and related fine chemicals.

Keywords: Glutaric acid; Green manufacturing; Metabolic engineering; Microbial cell factories; Sustainable production.

Publication types

Review