Metabolic engineering is a key technology for the biosynthesis of various bio-based products such as nutraceuticals

pharmaceuticals

biofuels

and chemicals through the design

construction and optimization of metabolic pathways. Traditional methods

including gene knockout

gene knockdown and gene overexpression usually lead to metabolic imbalance. In contrast

using the regulatory elements derived from the microorganisms themselves to carry out dynamic regulation of metabolic pathways can balance the cell growth and product synthesis

achieving unification of high titer

high yield and high productivity. Microorganisms have the ability to alter their metabolic flux in transcription level by sensing the exchange of environment or intracellular metabolite concentration

and can change the metabolic state using some cis-or trans-regulation elements in post-transcription level

besides allosteric regulation and controlled degradation of pathway enzymes are found in protein level. Dynamic regulation elements can be developed basing on these regulatory mechanisms and can be applied into the dynamic regulation of microbial metabolic. We summarize the dynamic regulation elements in transcription

post-transcription and protein levels respectively

and introduce their applications in microbial metabolic engineering.