2,5-Furandicarboxylic acid production from furfural by sequential biocatalytic reactions

2,5-Furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA) is a valuable compound that can be synthesized from biomass-derived hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), and holds great potential as a promising replacement for petroleum-based terephthalic acid in the production of polyamides, polyesters, and polyurethanes used universally. However, an economical large-scale production strategy for HMF from lignocellulosic biomass is yet to be established. This study aimed to design a synthetic pathway that can yield FDCA from furfural, whose industrial production from lignocellulosic biomass has already been established. This artificial pathway consists of an oxidase and a prenylated flavin mononucleotide (prFMN)-dependent reversible decarboxylase, catalyzing furfural oxidation and carboxylation of 2-furoic acid, respectively. The prFMN-dependent reversible decarboxylase was identified in an isolated strain, Paraburkholderia fungorum KK1, whereas an HMF oxidase from Methylovorus sp. MP688 exhibited furfural oxidation activity and was used as a furfural oxidase. Using Escherichia coli cells coexpressing these proteins, as well as a flavin prenyltransferase, FDCA could be produced from furfural via 2-furoic acid in one pot.