High-Efficiency Biocatalytic Conversion of Thebaine to Codeine

An enzymatic biosynthesis approach is described for codeine, the most widely used medicinal opiate, providing a more environmentally sustainable alternative to current chemical conversion, with yields and productivity compatible with industrial production. Escherichia coli strains were engineered to express key enzymes from poppy, including the recently discovered neopinone isomerase, producing codeine from thebaine. We show that compartmentalization of these enzymes in different cells is an effective strategy that allows active spatial and temporal control of reactions, increasing yield and volumetric productivity and reducing byproduct generation. Codeine is produced at a yield of 64% and a volumetric productivity of 0.19 g/(L·h), providing the basis for an industrially applicable aqueous whole-cell biotransformation process. This approach could be used to redirect thebaine-rich feedstocks arising from the U.S. reduction of opioid manufacturing quotas or applied to enable total biosynthesis and may have broader applicability to other medicinal plant compounds.