Microbial Biosynthesis of Aromatic Compounds
A special issue of Life (ISSN 2075-1729). This special issue belongs to the section "Synthetic Biology and Systems Biology".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2026 | Viewed by 108
Special Issue Editor
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The sustainable production of aromatic compounds has attracted increasing attention due to their broad applications in pharmaceuticals, food additives, cosmetics, and advanced materials. Traditionally derived from plant extraction or chemical synthesis, these compounds often suffer from limitations including low yield, environmental burden, and dependence on non-renewable resources. In this context, microbial biosynthesis has emerged as a promising alternative, enabling green, efficient, and scalable production through metabolic engineering and synthetic biology.
Recent advances in systems metabolic engineering, enzyme engineering, and computational design have significantly expanded the capability of microbial cell factories to produce a wide range of aromatic compounds, including phenolic acids (e.g., protocatechuic acid, gallic acid), phenylpropanoids, flavonoids, and glycosylated derivatives. Moreover, the integration of multi-omics analysis, artificial intelligence, and dynamic metabolic regulation has accelerated pathway optimization and improved production performance.
This Special Issue aims to highlight recent progress and emerging trends in the microbial production of aromatic compounds, with a focus on innovative strategies that bridge metabolic engineering and industrial biomanufacturing. We welcome original research articles, reviews, and perspectives covering, but not limited to, the following topics:
- Metabolic engineering of microorganisms for aromatic compound biosynthesis
- Synthetic biology approaches for pathway design and optimization
- Engineering of shikimate and aromatic amino acid pathways
- Enzyme discovery, evolution, and structure-guided design
- Microbial production of phenolic acids, flavonoids, alkaloids, and derivatives
- Glycosylation and decoration of aromatic compounds
- Systems biology and multi-omics-guided strain engineering
- AI-assisted strain design and metabolic modeling
- Fermentation process optimization and scale-up strategies
- Biomanufacturing and downstream processing of aromatic compounds
We invite researchers and clinicians to contribute original research articles, reviews, and perspectives to this Special Issue, with the goal of providing a comprehensive overview of current advances and future directions in bioproduction of aromatic compounds.
Dr. Bin Zhang
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Life is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- microbial biosynthesis
- aromatic compounds
- metabolic engineering
- synthetic biology
- shikimate pathway
- systems biology
- biomanufacturing
- fermentation optimization
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
- Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
- Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
- Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
- External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
- Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.
