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

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.