Innovative Light-Driven Enzymatic Biosystem for the Synthesis of Natural Terpenoids

In a recent study, researchers from China have developed a light-driven in vitro enzymatic system to produce α-farnesene, a useful natural terpenoid, from methanol. By optimizing and coupling thirteen biocatalytic reactions, and using natural thylakoid membranes, they achieved a significant α-farnesene production using methanol and glycolaldehyde as source materials.