Industrial production of L-lysine in Corynebacterium glutamicum: Progress and prospects

L-lysine is one of the amino acids necessary for humans and animals and widely used in food processing, pharmaceutical preparations and feed additives. In recent years, rational design based on systems metabolic engineering and conventional optimization of fermentation parameters have contributed to the high production of L-lysine. As the demand for L-lysine in the world market is increasing year by year, intensive research has been devoted to efficient productivity and economic production costs. This review briefly explains the biosynthesis and regulation mechanism of L-lysine in Corynebacterium glutamicum, and then outlines the construction, scale-up culture, and product separation and purification strategies of L-lysine high-producing strains. In addition, emerging strategies for the breeding and fermentation of C. glutamicum for the production of L-lysine have been emphatically elucidated. In short, the commercialization of L-lysine production requires chassis strains with excellent production performance, efficient fermentation process, and the development of sustainable purification technologies.