Topic：Reprogramming Fatty Acid Synthases for theproduction of tailored fatty acids and related compounds
Lecturer：Prof. Martin Grininger（Goethe University Frankfurty）
Time：11:00—12:00, Friday, November 21th, 2025
Avene：Dongtang Hall, No.13 Building, Wushan Campus
About the Speaker:
Martin Grininger studied Technical Chemistry in at the University Linz and the Technical University Graz. For his PhD studies, he moved to Munich/Martinsried to the Max-Planck-Institute of Biochemistry to work with Dieter Oesterhelt on flavin sequestration and storage in Archaea and Bacteria. After graduating from the Ludwig Maximilians University Munich in 2006, he became project group leader at the Max-Planck-Institute of Biochemistry. With his project group, he focused on multidomain fatty acid synthases and contributed to the currentstructural understanding of these proteins. He also held a visiting professorship at the University Vienna in Biological Chemistry (2010/2011). In 2012, he received a Lichtenberg Professorship of the Volkswagen Foundation hosted by the Goethe University Frankfurt. In 2019, he was appointed permanent Professor of Biomolecular Chemistry at Goethe University. Research in his lab revolves around the understanding of fatty acid and polyketide synthases and the development of compartmentalized multistep biosynthesis for the production of platform chemicals and pharmaceuticals. The starting point of this research is the aim to achieve a deep, quantitative understanding of multienzymesystems, typically achieved through in vitro studies on purified proteins. Building on this foundation, the question is then addressed of how suchknowledge can be translated into practical applications. This approach reflects the guiding principle that a true understanding of a system is a prerequisite for its rational modification.
He has published research from his laboratory in prestigious journals, including Nature Chemistry, Nature Chemical Biology, Nature Communications, JACS, Angewandte Chemie, and PNAS, and has successfully secured substantial third-party funding.
Report Summaries:
Fatty acid synthases (FASs)catalyze the de novo synthesis of C16- and C18-fatty acids (FAs) through iterative chain extensions. In my lab, we employ fungal and mammalian FASs forthe tailored synthesis of platform chemicals, including short-chain fatty acids,aldehydes, alcohols, methyl ketones, and lactones. To achieve this, weprimarily engineer the transferase (MAT) and ketosynthase (KS) domains. In thistalk, I present two recent examples of FAS engineering from my lab: (i) Were-engineered mammalian FAS to fine-tune the balance between FA chain extensionand hydrolytic release, enabling the targeted production of short- andmedium-chain fatty acids. In hybrid construct harboring the TesA thioesterase,single amino acid exchanges in the KS can redirect FA product profiles frompredominantly C8 (G113W) to C8/C10 (G113F) and C12/C14 (G113M). Integration of a thioreductase domain further allowed the formation of medium-chain fattyaldehydes and alcohols. (ii) We established a chemoenzymatic platform for the production of 2-pyrones—specifically styrylpyrones and hispidin—using amultienzyme system based on a non-reducing variant of mammalian FAS. Theengineered enzyme exhibited activities surpassing those of the native styrylpyrone synthase from the kavalactone pathway in Piper methysticum.
Welcome all the teachers and students to attend!
