Screening system for MAA-CoA productivity using 2-methylcitrate biosensor

Methyl methacrylate (MMA), the primary raw material of acrylic resin, is an important polymeric material due to its increasing demand and ease of recycling. The most promising biosynthetic route for MMA involves the condensation of methanol with methacrylyl-CoA (MAA-CoA), an intermediate in the valine degradation pathway. The toxicity of MAA-CoA, poor stability and low activity of the heterologous pathway enzymes make this biosynthetic pathway less feasible. For enabling the evolutionary engineering of this pathway and its components (enzymes), we constructed a biosensor system in which the cellular level of key intermediate MAA-CoA can be evaluated in a high-throughput manner. With the aid of this MAA-CoA sensory system, we could establish the functional pathway from isobutyric acid to MAA-CoA. The sensor described in this paper should be valuable tool in the design-build-test-learn cycle for optimizing and breeding this MMA pathway.