One-carbon (C1) substrates are preferred feedstocks for the biomanufacturing industry and have recently gained attention owing to their natural abundance, low production cost and availability as industrial by-products. However, native pathways to utilize these substrates are absent in most biotechnologically relevant microorganisms. Recent advances in synthetic biology, genome engineering and laboratory evolution are enabling the first steps towards the creation of synthetic C1-utilizing microorganisms. Here, we briefly review the native metabolism of methane, methanol, CO₂, CO and formate, and how these C1-utilizing pathways can be engineered into heterologous hosts. In addition, this review analyses the potential, the challenges and the perspectives of C1-based biomanufacturing.

一碳 (C1) 底物是生物制造行业的首选原料，最近因其天然丰富、生产成本低和作为工业副产品的可用性而受到关注。然而，在大多数生物技术相关的微生物中，不存在利用这些底物的天然途径。合成生物学、基因组工程和实验室进化的最新进展使创建合成利用 C1 的微生物迈出了第一步。在这里，我们简要回顾了甲烷、甲醇、CO ₂、CO 和甲酸盐的天然代谢，以及如何将这些 C1 利用途径设计到异源宿主中。此外，本综述还分析了基于 C1 的生物制造的潜力、挑战和前景。