The invention provides genetically engineered microorganisms and methods for the biological production of ethylene glycol and precursors of ethylene glycol. In particular, the microorganism of the invention produces ethylene glycol or a precursor of ethylene glycol through one or more of 5,10-methylenetetrahydrofolate, oxaloacetate, citrate, malate, and glycine. The invention further provides compositions comprising ethylene glycol or polymers of ethylene glycol such as polyethylene terephthalate.

Embodiments provide a modified microbe capable of growing in or fermenting a solution, or lignocellulosic hydrolysate, comprising ferulic acid and/or coniferyl aldehyde. The microbe has one or more modifications to provide: (a) a decrease in copy number or expression of a BNA7 gene; (b) an increase in copy number or expression of one or more pentose phosphate pathway genes; and/or (c) localization of one or more products of the pentose phosphate pathway genes to the mitochondria or endoplasmic reticulum. Also provided is a microbe having modified expression or copy number of BNA7 and/or one or more of the pentose phosphate pathway genes. The pentose phosphate pathway genes may in certain embodiments be selected from at least one of ZWF1, TKL1, RPE1 and GND1. Also provided is a method for fermenting a substrate comprising ferulic acid and/or coniferyl aldehyde to produce a fermentation product.

Provided is a method of producing a product by culturing a carboxydotrophic acetogenic bacterium with a disrupting mutation in a lactate dehydrogenase enzyme in the presence of a substrate comprising CO, CO.sub.2, and/or H.sub.2. Preferably, the disrupting mutation reduces or eliminates the expression or activity of the enzyme such that the bacterium produces a reduced amount of lactate or no lactate.

Provided is a method of producing a product by culturing a carboxydotrophic acetogenic bacterium with a disrupting mutation in a lactate dehydrogenase enzyme in the presence of a substrate comprising CO, CO.sub.2, and/or H.sub.2. Preferably, the disrupting mutation reduces or eliminates the expression or activity of the enzyme such that the bacterium produces a reduced amount of lactate or no lactate.

The present invention relates to novel nucleic acid sequences encoding bacterial xylose isomerases that upon transformation of a eukaryotic microbial host cell, such as yeast, to confer to the host cell the ability of isomerising xylose to xylulose. The nucleic acid sequences encode xylose isomerases that originate from bacteria such as Eubacterium sp., Clostridium cellulosi and others. The invention further relates to fermentation processes wherein the transformed host cells ferment a xylose-containing medium to produce ethanol or other fermentation products.

The present invention relates to novel nucleic acid sequences encoding bacterial xylose isomerases that upon transformation of a eukaryotic microbial host cell, such as yeast, to confer to the host cell the ability of isomerising xylose to xylulose. The nucleic acid sequences encode xylose isomerases that originate from bacteria such as Eubacterium sp., Clostridium cellulosi and others. The invention further relates to fermentation processes wherein the transformed host cells ferment a xylose-containing medium to produce ethanol or other fermentation products.

Among other things, the present disclosure provides biosynthesis polypeptides, methods, and non-naturally occurring microbial organisms for preparing various compounds such as 1,5-pentanediol, adipic acid, 1,6-hexanediol, 6-hydroxy hexanoic acid, and 2-keto carboxylic acids.

Provided is a method for producing 1,3-propanediol by means of fermentation of a recombinant microorganism. First, a recombinant microorganism is provided; the recombinant microorganism can overexpress acetyl-CoA carboxylase genes: accBC and accDA, a malonyl-CoA synthetase gene: mcr, a 3-hydroxypropionyl-CoA synthetase gene: pcs, a 3-hydroxypropionyl-CoA reductase gene: pduP, and a 1,3-propanediol reductase gene: yqhD. The recombinant microorganism is subjected to fermentation culture in a flask or fermentor using glucose ad as raw material to obtain the 1,3-propanediol. The recombinant microorganism can utilize low-cost glucose, sucrose, molasses, xylose and the like as raw material in the fermentation process, without additional expensive vitamin B12. Thus, cost of the production is significantly reduced, and there is a promising prospect in market.

Provided is a method for producing 1,3-propanediol by means of fermentation of a recombinant microorganism. First, a recombinant microorganism is provided; the recombinant microorganism can overexpress acetyl-CoA carboxylase genes: accBC and accDA, a malonyl-CoA synthetase gene: mcr, a 3-hydroxypropionyl-CoA synthetase gene: pcs, a 3-hydroxypropionyl-CoA reductase gene: pduP, and a 1,3-propanediol reductase gene: yqhD. The recombinant microorganism is subjected to fermentation culture in a flask or fermentor using glucose ad as raw material to obtain the 1,3-propanediol. The recombinant microorganism can utilize low-cost glucose, sucrose, molasses, xylose and the like as raw material in the fermentation process, without additional expensive vitamin B12. Thus, cost of the production is significantly reduced, and there is a promising prospect in market.

The present invention relates to a recombinant microorganism which is capable of simultaneously fermenting at least two sugars in a lignocellulosic saccharified liquid, and also capable of generating diol.