The present invention provides an engineered cyanobacterium, comprising at least one plasmid selected from three novel pathways to produce acetate, which can convert atmospheric carbon dioxide as a raw material into acetate. The present invention also constructs the expression plasmid for three different transporters specific to acetate to be expressed in cyanobacteria, which comprises putative ABC transporter (AatA), succinate/acetate: proton symporter (SatP) and acetate/glycolate: cation symporter (ActP). Therefore, the engineered cyanobacteria of the present invention can produce 0.58 mg/L to 3.54 mg/L of acetate per hour.

The invention provides non-naturally occurring microbial organisms containing a fatty alcohol, fatty aldehyde or fatty acid pathway, wherein the microbial organisms selectively produce a fatty alcohol, fatty aldehyde or fatty acid of a specified length. Also provided are non-naturally occurring microbial organisms having a fatty alcohol, fatty aldehyde or fatty acid pathway, wherein the microbial organisms further include an acetyl-CoA pathway. In some aspects, the microbial organisms of the invention have select gene disruptions or enzyme attenuations that increase production of fatty alcohols, fatty aldehydes or fatty acids. The invention additionally provides methods of using the above microbial organisms to produce a fatty alcohol, a fatty aldehyde or a fatty acid.

A system and method for controlling metabolic enzymes or pathways in cells to produce a chemical above the levels of a wild-type strain is disclosed. The system utilizes cells, including yeasts, bacteria, and molds, having at least two genes capable of being controlled bi-directionally with light, where one gene is turned from off to on when exposed to light and another gene is turned from on to off when exposed to light, the two genes reversing when the light is turned off. Cells may utilize any number of sequences that benefit chemical production, including sequences that: encode for constitutive transcription of light-activated transcription factor fusions; encode for a metabolic enzyme; encode for a repressor; induce expression of metabolic enzymes; and an endogenous or exogenous activator expressed by a constitutive promoter, inducible promoter, or gene circuit. These systems may be coupled to biosensors or protein cascade systems, enabling the monitoring or automation of the fermentation process to optimize production of a desired product. These systems may also allow for optimization and periodic operation of a bioreactor using light pulses.

Disclosed are a recombinant acid-resistant yeast having improved lactic-acid-producing ability and a method of preparing lactic acid using the same. When producing lactic acid using the recombinant acid-resistant yeast according to the present invention, not only lactic-acid fermentation can be performed with lactic-acid-producing ability similar to that of bacterial fermentation using a remarkably smaller amount of a neutralizing agent than in the case of conventional bacterial fermentation, but also the production of ethanol and glycerol which are byproducts can be reduced. Thus, fermentation costs can be greatly reduced and the cost of subsequent purification processes can be reduced.

The present invention provides a fungus of the genus Rhizopus having high productivity of an organic acid. The present invention also provides a mutant of the genus Rhizopus with reduced pyruvate decarboxylase activity.

A method is useful for the biocatalytic synthesis of proteinogenic L-amino acids, such as L-alanine, L-valine. L-methionine. L-leucine, L-isoleucine or L-phenylalanine from a respective aldehyde and carbon dioxide. In particular, the method is useful for the biocatalytic synthesis of L-methionine from 3-methylthio-propanal (methional) and carbon dioxide.

The present invention provides for a mechanism to completely replace the electron accepting function of glycerol formation with an alternative pathway to ethanol formation, thereby reducing glycerol production and increasing ethanol production. In some embodiments, the invention provides for a recombinant microorganism comprising a down-regulation in one or more native enzymes in the glycerol-production pathway. In some embodiments, the invention provides for a recombinant microorganism comprising an up-regulation in one or more enzymes in the ethanol-production pathway.

A lyase has an amino acid sequence selected from SEQ ID NOs: 1, 2 and 3, wherein the amino acid isoleucine in position no. 468 in the protein ApPDC-E469G, which is modified with respect to the wild type from Acetobacter pasteurianus, is replaced by an amino acid which occupies less space than isoleucine.

The present invention relates to: a novel Pichia kudriavzevii microorganism NG7 showing heat resistance and acid resistance; a composition, for producing organic acid or alcohol, which comprises the microorganism and a culture of the same; and a method, for producing an organic acid or alcohol, which comprises culturing the microorganism.

Disclosed are a recombinant yeast for producing 2,3-butanediol and a method for producing 2,3-butanediol using the same. By introducing Candida tropicalis-derived Pdc, which is less active than its own pyruvate decarboxylase (Pdc), into the cells of the strain, the recombinant yeast can synthesize acetyl-CoA, while avoiding production of ethanol, thereby increasing the strain growth rate and the substrate consumption rate and ultimately greatly improving productivity of 2,3-butanediol.

Disclosed is a method for producing 2,3-butanediol. Conventional methods for producing 2,3-butanediol using Saccharomyces cerevisiae (yeast) inevitably cause production of a great amount of glycerol as a by-product, in addition to production of 2,3-butanediol. However, the yeast strain according to the present invention can produce 2,3-butanediol with high purity, high yield and high productivity, while inhibiting production of glycerol.