Reconstituting a two-step pathway for N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) biosynthesis in bacteria
Metabolic Engineering Communications July 1, 2026 Lucas Henrique Junges, Flávia Lada Degaut Pontes, Francisco J. Teles Mota et al.
N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) is a bioactive indole alkaloid that could greatly benefit from scalable, fermentation-based production for research and pharmaceutical applications. In this study, we reconstructed a two-step bacterial pathway converting L-tryptophan to DMT via tryptamine. This involved combining a pyridoxal 5'-phosphate (PLP)-dependent tryptophan decarboxylase from the bacterium...