# De novo biosynthesis of 1,5-diamino-2-hydroxypentane from glucose via combination of fermentation and whole-cell catalysis

**Authors:** Zhijie Zheng, Zhongliang Chen, Tongqing Tang, Haoyu Lu, Qian Xu, Zixun Yang, Wei Liu, Chaoqiang Wu, Shewei Hu, Feifei Chen, Alei Zhang, Kequan Chen

PMC · DOI: 10.1016/j.synbio.2026.01.036 · 2026-02-14

## TL;DR

Scientists created a green method to produce a useful chemical from glucose using bacteria and enzymes.

## Contribution

A novel biosynthetic pathway for 1,5-diamino-2-hydroxypentane from glucose using fermentation and whole-cell catalysis.

## Key findings

- A strain of E. coli produced 40.2 g/L of 3-hydroxylysine through optimized fermentation.
- Lysine decarboxylase converted 3-hydroxylysine to 2-OH-PDA with 99.7% molar efficiency.
- The process offers an economical and environmentally friendly route for 2-OH-PDA synthesis.

## Abstract

1,5-Diamino-2-hydroxypentane (2-OH-PDA) is a novel aliphatic β-amino alcohol with potential for a wide range of applications, and its efficient and green synthesis has attracted increasing attention. In this study, we developed a biosynthetic pathway for 2-OH-PDA from glucose. Firstly, the Fe2+/α-ketoglutarate (α-KG)-dependent l-Lysine-3-hydroxylase (K3H) was heterologously expressed in E coli NT1003 capable of highly producing l-lysine to construct a biosynthetic pathway strain of 3-hydroxylysine (3-OH-lysine). By intensifying the pathway, introducing a glutamate oxidation system, and optimizing the fermentation conditions, 40.2 g/L 3-OH-lysine were achieved in the fed-batch fermentation. Then, lysine decarboxylase (SpLDC) was used to catalyze the decarboxylation of 3-OH-lysine to 2-OH-PDA, yielding 29.2 g/L with a molar conversion efficiency of 99.7%. This study provides an economical, efficient and green route for the biosynthesis of 2-OH-PDA.

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## Linked entities

- **Chemicals:** glucose (PubChem CID 5793), 3-hydroxylysine (PubChem CID 419865), l-lysine (PubChem CID 5962), Fe2+ (PubChem CID 23925)

## Full-text entities

- **Diseases:** toxicity (MESH:D064420)
- **Chemicals:** CuSO4 (MESH:D019327), alpha-KG (MESH:D007656), amino alcohols (MESH:D000605), (NH4)2Fe(SO4)2 6H2O (-), H2O2 (MESH:D006861), acetone (MESH:D000096), TFA (MESH:D014269), amine (MESH:D000588), putrescine (MESH:D011700), Fmoc-Cl (MESH:C054007), vitamin B1 (MESH:D013831), (NH4)2SO4 (MESH:D000645), borate (MESH:D001881), threonine (MESH:D013912), chloramphenicol (MESH:D002701), glucose (MESH:D005947), PLP (MESH:D011732), hydrogen (MESH:D006859), sodium borate (MESH:C010634), l-lysine (MESH:D008239), KCl (MESH:D011189), oxygen (MESH:D010100), phosphate (MESH:D010710), RBS (MESH:D012413), metal (MESH:D008670), CaCO3 (MESH:D002119), methionine (MESH:D008715), polymer (MESH:D011108), carbon (MESH:D002244), acetonitrile (MESH:C032159), (S)-2-amino-3-methyl-1-butanol (MESH:C040994), diamines (MESH:D003959), Elvitegravir (MESH:C509700), thiamphenicol (MESH:D013839), niacinamide (MESH:D009536), water (MESH:D014867), cadaverine (MESH:D002103), glutamate (MESH:D018698), SDS (MESH:D012967), sodium ascorbate (MESH:D001205), biotin (MESH:D001710)
- **Species:** Escherichia coli BL21(DE3) (strain) [taxon 469008], Bacillus pumilus (species) [taxon 1408], Streptomyces viridochromogenes (species) [taxon 1938], Escherichia coli (E. coli, species) [taxon 562], Saccharomyces cerevisiae (baker's yeast, species) [taxon 4932]
- **Cell lines:** NT1003 — Mus musculus (Mouse), Mouse teratocarcinoma, Cancer cell line (CVCL_B5MX), DH5alpha — Drosophila hydei (Fruit fly), Spontaneously immortalized cell line (CVCL_Z531), E. coli — Mus musculus (Mouse), Hybridoma (CVCL_C5CR), E. coli BL21 (DE3) — Mus musculus (Mouse), Hybridoma (CVCL_B7HM)

## Figures

6 figures with captions in the complete paper: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12925044/full.md

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Source: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12925044