| Plant natural products comprise a diverse array of secondary metabolites, including terpenoids, flavonoids, and alkaloids. Owing to their anticancer, anti inflammatory, and antioxidant activities, these compounds exhibit great potential in the food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic industries. However, the extraction of plant natural products is hindered by resource scarcity, low extraction efficiency, and difficulties in product separation. Meanwhile, their complex molecular structures also impede total chemical synthesis. Consequently, the sustainable biosynthesis of target products using microbial cell factories has emerged as an economically viable alternative. In recent years, non conventional yeasts have gradually become promising and excellent hosts for microbial product synthesis due to their strong environmental tolerance and broad substrate utilization spectrum. This paper reviews the physiological characteristics of several common non-conventional yeasts, mainly including Yarrowia lipolytica, Pichia pastoris, Ogataea polymorpha and Rhodosporidium toruloides. It summarizes the engineering strategies and latest research advances in their biosynthesis of natural products, such as terpenoids, flavonoids and alkaloids. Finally, the challenges faced by non-conventional yeasts in the synthesis of natural products are discussed, and future research directions are prospected. |
