Cong Trinh and his research team elucidate and control proteome reallocation in living cells to enable the selective de novo biosynthesis of non-linear, branched-chain acetate esters with broad use as flavors, solvents, fragrances, and advanced biofuels. This study provides direct quantitative evidence of the proteome reallocation required to achieve pathway efficiency and potential metabolic tradeoffs.

This research is published in Metabolic Engineering. The work is funded by the Center of Bioenergy Innovation and DOE BER award (DE-SC0022226) .