Synthetic Biology Strategies for Methanol Conversion

Methanol is a sustainable one-carbon (C1) compound derived from greenhouse gases and can be biologically converted into value-added biomass, offering a promising route for environmental-friendly biomanufacturing. However, microbial methanol conversion is limited by low productivity and metabolic bottlenecks due to the complexity of natural cellular systems. To overcome these challenges, we present a novel, parallel strategy for constructing artificial cells by encapsulating methanol-utilising enzymatic cascades within cell-sized lipid vesicles. This artificial cell platform overcomes biological constraints, facilitating efficient methanol conversion. Our approach lays a foundation for sustainable methanol-based biomanufacturing and the development of next-generation artificial cell factories.