Fig. 2

Emerging strategies used to improve the production of aromatic compounds in engineered microbes. A Internal cellular compartments can be used in eukaryotic microbes to target specific pathway modules. B Cultivation of two different organisms in one pot, also known as co-culturing, can be used to achieve division of labor between organisms that express distinct pathway modules. C New heterologous hosts are emerging for aromatic compound production given natural tendencies they may have for specific pathways and products. D A broader range of aromatic polymers are being broken down and utilized or valorized by microbes. E Aromatic compounds can be produced as intermediates with designed ring cleavage to achieve monomer units for important polymers. F Aldehyde stabilization has improved production of many different aldehyde or aldehyde-derived products across different organisms and research groups. G Aromatic non-standard amino acids are attractive emerging targets for biosynthesis given the ultra-high-value applications of the proteins that they can be incorporated within