The group of Zongbao ZHAO at CAS Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics has engineered a nucleotide dehydrogenase to accept chemically synthesized nicotinamide cytosine dinucleotide (NCD) as preferred cofactor. An E. coli strain that overexpressed Pdh*, NCD-linked malic enzyme (Mae*) and nucleotide transporter (Ndt) could use phosphite as the electron source to generate NCDH that drove reductive carboxylation of pyruvate for improved malate production from glucose.

CAS news release, February 16, 2017