Microbial PUFA Production and Therapeutic Potential: Multiscale and Translational Perspectives

Microbial production of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) is emerging as a sustainable alternative to traditional fish oil due to overfishing and marine pollution. Microbial platforms offer precise control over strain selection, culture conditions, and product quality while reducing pressure on finite marine resources. The nutritional and therapeutic value of PUFAs is well recognized, as they play key roles in inflammation control, neurodevelopment, cardiometabolic health, and cellular signaling. Yet microbial PUFA biosynthesis remains complex, involving diverse taxa, metabolic routes, and regulatory mechanisms. Recent advances in genome mining, metabolic engineering, and microbial physiology are enabling the optimization of PUFA production at molecular, cellular, and process scales, paving the way for translational applications in health, nutrition, and industrial biotechnology. This research topic aims to advance the science and application of microbial PUFAs as sustainable lipid resources for nutritional, therapeutic, and industrial use. It will bring together researchers studying microbial diversity, lipid biosynthesis, metabolic engineering, and functional lipid biology. A central goal is to strengthen the translational pipeline by connecting fundamental discovery to real-world application, integrating mechanistic insights from genes and metabolic pathways to fermentation performance, product formulation, and clinical or nutritional functionality. The topic adopts a multiscale perspective, linking molecular and genetic regulation to cellular metabolism, microbial interactions, bioprocess optimization, and ultimately product efficacy and host responses. This research topic will also emphasize multi-omics, systems biology, and computational modeling to enhance strain design and production predictability. Overall, this collection positions microbial PUFAs as next-generation bioresources that bridge biotechnology, health, and sustainable production.To gather further insights into microbial lipid biosynthesis, we welcome original research, review, and perspective articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:• Discovery of microbial taxa and metabolic pathways in PUFA biosynthesis• Engineering and optimization of microbial strains for improved PUFA yield• Genome mining, metabolic modeling, and regulatory network integration• Multiscale approaches linking molecular mechanisms to bioprocess design and scale-up• Synthetic biology strategies for enhancing PUFA pathways in cell factories• Sustainable process technologies and substrate utilization for large-scale production• Therapeutic and nutritional roles of microbial PUFA products in human and animal health• Industrial, aquaculture, and nutraceutical applications of microbial lipids Topic editors: Swarna Kanchan, Minu Kesheri Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/80870/microbial-pufa-production-and-therapeutic-potential-multiscale-and-translational-perspectives