Coding Synthetic Chemistry Strategies into Bacterial Designer Cells

Following a synthetic chemistry blueprint for the valorization of lignocellulosic platform chemicals, this study showcases a so far unprecedented approach to implement non-natural enzyme modules in vivo. For the design of a novel functional whole cell tool, two purely abiotic transformations were incorporated into a recombinant bacterial host that allows production of complex lactone building blocks. This whole cell system streamlines the synthetic cascade, eliminates isolation and purification steps, and provides a high degree stereoselectivity that has so far been elusive in the chemical methodology.