Microbial Cell Factories for Natural Products

Topic Information

Dear Colleagues,

Microorganisms, in some way, are considered microbial cell factories and can aid in the production of natural products with applications in pharmaceuticals (human and animal health), agriculture, food, feed, cosmetics, and industry. Advances in microbial biotechnology, from classical strain selection to sophisticated metabolic engineering approaches boosted by synthetic biology methodologies, have significantly expanded the diversity, yield, and profit of bio-based compounds. These include primary and secondary metabolites that result in a diverse array of compounds such as antibiotics, biofertilizers, carotenoids, colorants, enzymes, immunosuppressants, proteins, or steroids, among others. At present, the development of high-throughput omics technologies (genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics) is providing unprecedented insights into microbial metabolism, enhancing the selection, improvement, and optimization of industrial strains. Moreover, emerging metaomics approaches, such as metagenomics, metataxonomics, metatranscriptomics, and metaproteomics, in many cases assisted by AI, are also widening the scope of applications from novel biological data sources. As can be seen from the information presented above, microorganisms (bacteria, fungi, and yeasts), themselves or as microbial platforms, continue to evolve as powerful tools for sustainable bioproduction through rational engineering approaches or by means of non engineered adaptive strategies. As part of the Topics Project, this Special Issue invites submissions of research articles, reviews, and perspectives covering both fundamental and applied aspects of microbial cell factories for natural products. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Strain selection and improvement strategies, including adaptive evolution and genome editing.
• Metabolic and synthetic biology approaches for pathway optimization.
• Omics-driven discovery and enhancement of microbial producers.
• Fermentation strategies and bioprocess optimization.
• Industrial applications of microbial cell factories for clinical, agricultural, food, feed, and cosmetics applications.
• Downstream processes to enhance the yield and quality of the products.

We also welcome contributions that explore new microbial platforms, innovative production strategies, and interdisciplinary approaches to enhance the biosynthesis of high-value natural products.

Dr. Carlos Barreiro
Dr. Ana Ibáñez
Dr. José L. Barredo
Topic Editors

Keywords

Participating Journals

Journal Name	Impact Factor	CiteScore	Launched Year	First Decision (median)	APC
Applied Biosciences applbiosci	-	-	2022	19.1 Days	CHF 1000	Submit
Applied Microbiology applmicrobiol	-	-	2021	14.3 Days	CHF 1000	Submit
Fermentation fermentation	3.3	3.8	2015	15.4 Days	CHF 2100	Submit
Marine Drugs marinedrugs	4.9	9.6	2003	13.7 Days	CHF 2900	Submit
Microorganisms microorganisms	4.1	7.4	2013	11.7 Days	CHF 2700	Submit

Preprints.org is a multidisciplinary platform offering a preprint service designed to facilitate the early sharing of your research. It supports and empowers your research journey from the very beginning.

MDPI Topics is collaborating with Preprints.org and has established a direct connection between MDPI journals and the platform. Authors are encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity by posting their preprints at Preprints.org prior to publication:

1. Share your research immediately: disseminate your ideas prior to publication and establish priority for your work.
2. Safeguard your intellectual contribution: Protect your ideas with a time-stamped preprint that serves as proof of your research timeline.
3. Boost visibility and impact: Increase the reach and influence of your research by making it accessible to a global audience.
4. Gain early feedback: Receive valuable input and insights from peers before submitting to a journal.
5. Ensure broad indexing: Web of Science (Preprint Citation Index), Google Scholar, Crossref, SHARE, PrePubMed, Scilit and Europe PMC.

Published Papers