Fermentative Production of Phenolic Glucosides by Escherichia coli with an Engineered Glucosyltransferase from Rhodiola sachalinensis

Three rosmarinic acid analogs produced by recombinant Escherichia coli, two xanthones from fungi and honokiol from plants, were explored as the substrates of E. coli harboring a glucosyltransferase mutant UGT73B6FS to generate phenolic glucosides. Six new and two known compounds were isolated from the fermentation broth of the recombinant strain of the feeding experiments, and the compounds were identified by spectroscopy. The biotransformation of rosmarinic acid analogs and xanthones into corresponding glucosides was presented for the first time. This study not only demonstrated the substrate flexibility of the glucosyltransferase mutant UGT73B6FS toward aromatic alcohols but also provided an effective and economical method to produce phenolic glucosides by fermentation circumventing the use of expensive precursor UDP-glucose.