Engineering yeast for sustainable bioproduction of tryptophan-derived aromatic compounds

Aromatic compounds are a diverse group of bioactive molecules with broad applications in the polymer, food, feed, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical industries. To address climate change and the depletion of fossil resources, there is growing interest in their sustainable production. Yeast cell factories offer an attractive alternative to conventional chemical synthesis by converting aromatic amino acids (AAAs) into a broad range of valuable aromatic products. Among AAAs, L-tryptophan (Trp) is distinguished by its indole moiety and serves as a key precursor for numerous high-value natural products. This review summarises recent advances in the engineering of yeast to produce tryptophan-derived compounds. Furthermore, it discusses current metabolic engineering strategies, synthetic biology tools, and the remaining challenges that must be overcome to achieve efficient, scalable, and economically viable biosynthesis of tryptophan-derived aromatic compounds in yeast.