bioprecursor

Bioprecursor is a molecule that serves as a starting material or substrate in a biosynthetic pathway, from which a more complex biomolecule is produced. It is distinguished from end products and from catalytic enzymes, and the term is used in biochemistry, metabolic engineering, and bioproduction to describe building blocks that feed biosynthetic routes. Bioprecursors can be primary metabolites that funnel into larger compounds or specialized substrates used to extend biosynthetic processes.

Examples include general metabolic inputs such as glucose and other sugars that feed central metabolism, as well as intermediates like acetyl-CoA and pyruvate that act as precursors for fatty acids, amino acids, and various secondary metabolites. Nucleoside triphosphates are precursors to nucleic acids, and in natural product biosynthesis, starter units such as malonyl-CoA or isopentenyl pyrophosphate function as precursors for polyketides and terpenoids. In engineered microbes, renewable feedstocks like glycerol or glucose are used as bioprecursors to produce biofuels, bioplastics, and other value-added chemicals.

Applications and considerations include the use of bioprecursor mapping to optimize metabolic flux toward the desired product, improve yields, and reduce production costs. Identifying key precursors helps address bottlenecks and balance redox and energy requirements. The term is sometimes used interchangeably with biosynthetic precursor or metabolic precursor, though some contexts differentiate universal metabolic precursors from pathway-specific starting materials.