Advances in regulating vitamin K 2 production through metabolic engineering strategies

Vitamin K 2 (menaquinone, VK 2 , MK) is an essential lipid-soluble vitamin that plays critical roles in inhibiting cell ferroptosis, improving blood clotting, and preventing osteoporosis. The increased global demand for VK 2 has inspired interest in novel production strategies. In this review, various novel metabolic regulation strategies, including static and dynamic metabolic regulation, are summarized and discussed. Furthermore, the advantages and disadvantages of both strategies are analyzed in-depth to highlight the bottlenecks facing microbial VK 2 production on an industrial scale. Finally, advanced metabolic engineering biotechnology for future microbial VK 2 production will also be discussed. In summary, this review provides in-depth information and offers an outlook on metabolic engineering strategies for VK 2 production.