Recent Advances in the Biological Synthesis of l-Tyrosine Derivatives by Genetically Engineered Microbes

l-Tyrosine (l-Tyr) is an important aromatic amino acid. Meanwhile, derivatives of l-Tyr also exhibit promising applications across various industries, including food, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals. Empowered by synthetic biology, the biological synthesis of l-Tyr derivatives via microbial fermentation has emerged as a promising alternative to overcome the limitations of traditional production methods, such as the low production efficiency, high cost, and environmental pollution. This review summarized recent advances on the biological synthesis of l-Tyr derivatives, including tyrosol, levodopa (l-DOPA), p-coumaric acid (p-CA), and relevant derivatives by different microorganisms. Strategies for improving the production of l-Tyr derivatives including metabolic engineering, enzyme modification, and strain breeding were also introduced. In addition, the future development trend of the microbial synthesis of l-tyrosine derivatives was proposed.