Production of aromatic compounds in bacteria.

The aromatic class of chemicals includes a large number of industrially important products. In bacteria and plants, the shikimate pathway and related biosynthetic pathways are a source of aromatic compounds having commercial value. Bacterial strains for the production of aromatic compounds from simple carbon sources as raw material have been generated by applying metabolic engineering and random/combinatorial strategies that modify central metabolism, aromatic biosynthetic pathways, transport, and regulatory functions. These strategies are complemented with heterologous gene expression and protein engineering. Engineered Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas putida strains are enabling the development of sustainable processes for the manufacture of 2-phenylethanol, p-hydroxycinnamic acid, p-hydroxystyrene, p-hydroxybenzoate, anthranilate, and cyclohexadiene-transdiols, among other useful chemicals.