Metabolically engineered cells for the production of resveratrol or an oligomeric or glycosidically-bound derivative thereof

A method for producing resveratrol or an oligomeric or glycosidically-bound derivative thereof comprising:

• a) cultivating a recombinant micro-organism comprising an engineered operative metabolic pathway producing resveratrol or an oligomeric or glycosidically-bound derivative thereof in a culture media comprising a carbon substrate from which the micro-organism can produce resveratrol, wherein the culture media does not require an external source of coumaric acid, and wherein the operative metabolic pathway produces:
• i) 4-coumaric acid from L-phenylalanine catalysed by a phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL) and a cinnamate 4-hydroxylase (C4H) expressed in the micro-organism or from tyrosine catalysed by a phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL) or a tyrosine ammonia lyase (TAL) expressed in said micro-organism;
• and
• ii) 4-coumaroyl-CoA from 4-coumaric acid catalysed by a 4-coumarate-CoA ligase (4CL) expressed in said micro-organism;
• and
• iii) resveratrol is produced from the 4-coumaroyl-CoA by a resveratrol synthase expressed in the micro-organism;
• and
• b) recovering the resveratrol or the oligomeric or glycosidically-bound derivative thereof from the culture media.