A recent review article in Trends in Biotechnology presents a comprehensive analysis of the current state of synthetic methanotrophy. The work was carried out by two catalaix research teams, the Synthetic Microbiology group at iAMB and the Chair of Biochemical Engineering (BioAVT) at RWTH Aachen University, in collaboration with colleagues from Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin and Auburn University (USA).
The publication highlights how methane, as an abundant C1 feedstock, can be harnessed for Hashtag#biotechnological applications and why synthetic methanotrophy is increasingly viewed as a promising strategy for efficient CH₄ bioconversion. The review summarizes key advances in the metabolic engineering of synthetic methanotrophs, recent developments in gas fermentation, and provides a comparative overview of major CH₄-oxidizing enzyme systems, with particular emphasis on the soluble methane Hashtag#monooxygenase and its heterologous production.
The article further illustrates how modular C1 metabolic pathways accelerate enzyme optimization and establish a robust foundation for scalable CH₄-based bioprocesses. It also outlines the potential of Hashtag#methane as a starting point for producing bulk and fine chemicals as well as bio-based Hashtag#polymers such as PHB.
This study was supported by the BMFTR, the DFG Priority Programme SPP2240 eBiotech, and the Werner Siemens-Stiftung through catalaix.
The publication is available here: