Metabolic Engineering of E. coli Enables Efficient Biosynthesis of Nicotinamide Riboside: Preclinical Findings

Synopsis

Researchers developed a highly efficient biotechnological method to produce nicotinamide riboside (NR)—a vital precursor of NAD+—using engineered E. coli bacteria. They identified that the enzyme 5′-nucleotidase (UshA) from E. coli effectively catalyzes NR synthesis and enhanced its performance by deleting three genes (rihA, rihB, and rihC) responsible for NR degradation. The team also confirmed that the signal peptide of UshA helps transport NR out of cells, improving yield. Additionally, introducing a nitrile hydratase enzyme enabled conversion of 3-cyanopyridine, a low-cost starting material, into NR. In large-scale fermentation, the optimized strain produced up to 29.8 g/L of NR, marking a significant advancement in sustainable and cost-effective NR biosynthesis for industrial and nutritional applications.

Journal

Bioresource Technology