Diatoms are among the most productive and ecologically important groups of microalgae in contemporary oceans. Due to their distinctive metabolic and physiological features, they offer exciting opportunities for a broad range of commercial and industrial applications. One such feature is their ability to synthesize a wide diversity of isoprenoid compounds. However, limited understanding of how these molecules are synthesized have until recently hindered their exploitation. Following comprehensive genomic and transcriptomic analysis of various diatom species, the biosynthetic mechanisms and regulation of the different branches of the pathway are now beginning to be elucidated. In this review, we provide a summary of the recent advances in understanding diatom isoprenoid synthesis and discuss the exploitation potential of diatoms as chassis for high-value isoprenoid synthesis.

硅藻是当代海洋中最具生产力和生态意义的微藻类之一。由于它们独特的代谢和生理特性，它们为广泛的商业和工业应用提供了令人兴奋的机会。这样的特征之一是它们能够合成各种各样的类异戊二烯化合物的能力。然而，直到最近，对如何合成这些分子的有限了解仍阻碍了它们的开发。在对各种硅藻物种进行全面的基因组和转录组学分析之后，现在开始阐明该途径不同分支的生物合成机制和调控。在这篇评论中，