Abstract
Coenzyme Q10 biosynthesis in Escherichia coli is constrained by kinetic mismatches between precursor synthesis and methylation, alongside bioenergetic uncoupling. We implemented an optogenetic phase-control strategy integrating dynamic light induction, ribosome binding site (RBS) engineering, and real-time membrane potential (ΔΨ) feedback. Temporal coordination of 1-deoxy-D-xylulose-5-phosphate synthase (DXS) and UbiG methyltransferase (UbiG) via a 6-h phase delay reduced methylglyoxal shunt flux by 41 ± 3% (p < 0.01) through enhanced precursor channeling. Membrane hyperpolarization to - 90 ± 2 mV (relative to - 70 mV in controls) triggered voltage-gated UbiG membrane localization (62 ± 3%) and ATP-driven S-adenosylmethionine regeneration, increasing methylation efficiency 2.3-fold. Multivariate modeling identified ΔΨ and acetate as critical control parameters, enabling optimized fermentation (dissolved oxygen (DO) 15-20%, pH 6.7-6.9). The engineered strain achieved 0.63 ± 0.07 g/L CoQ10 in 5-L bioreactors-a 4.3-fold improvement over the static control strain (0.15 ± 0.02 g/L)-with 82.5% carbon efficiency and 25.8% glycerol-to-product yield. This work establishes bioenergetically coupled temporal control as a scalable paradigm for membrane-bound isoprenoid biomanufacturing. KEY POINTS: • Phase-driven enzyme synchronization via optogenetics resolves kinetic mismatch. • Membrane hyperpolarization gates enzyme localization and ATP regeneration. • Model-integrated bioenergetic-process control enhances CoQ10 production efficiency.