The disclosure relates to engineered ketoreductase polypeptides and processes of using the polypeptides for production of phenylephrine.

The invention provides recombinant microorganisms and methods for the production of acetone from gaseous substrates. For example, the recombinant microorganism may be modified to express an exogenous thiolase, an exogenous CoA transferase, and an exogenous decarboxylase.

The present disclosure is related to genetically engineered microbial strains and related bioprocesses for the production of xylitol. Specifically, the use of dynamically controlled synthetic metabolic valves to reduce the activity of certain enzymes, leads to increased xylitol production in a two-stage process.

The present invention relates to the field of production of novel biosurfactants. More specifically, the present invention relates to the efficient generation of short chained on-glycosides with less than 10%, preferably less than 1%, ω-1 glycosides using a fungal strain such as the yeast Starmerella bombicola having a dysfunctional CYP52M1 cytochrome P450 monooxygenase and a dysfunctional FAO1 fatty alcohol oxidase to produce high amounts of so-called unsaturated (symmetrical) α,ω-bola glycosides free from contaminating α,ω-1 bola glycosides, and subjecting said unsaturated (symmetrical) α,ω-bola glycosides to conditions inducing the breaking of the present double bond(s) such as for example through ozonolysis performed in water. More specifically, the present invention discloses the generation of (acetylated) C9:0 ω-sophoroside aldehydes, C9:0 ω-glucoside aldehydes, C9:0 ω-glucolipids, C9:0 ω-sophorolipids, C9:0 ω-sophoroside alcohols and C9:0 ω-glucoside alcohols and their further derivatives. The present invention also discloses methods to produce alkyl sophorosides in increased ratios.

In various aspects and embodiments, the invention relates to bacterial strains and methods for making terpene and terpenoid products. The invention provides bacterial strains with improved carbon flux through the MEP pathway, to thereby increase terpene and/or terpenoid product yield by fermentation with carbon sources such as glucose.

The present disclosure provides mutant cells for the secretion of proteins and for the degradation of lignocellulosic biomass. Methods for the use of these cells are also provided. Specifically, the utility of combined genetic deletions of β-glucosidases and the catabolite repressor gene creA/cre-1 for protein secretion in fungal and yeast cells is disclosed.

The object is to provide a novel enzyme exhibiting cholesterol dehydrogenase activity. Provided is a mutant enzyme having an amino acid sequence of a microorganism-derived cholesterol oxidase, which is composed of: (1) an amino acid corresponding to the amino acid at the position 113 of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1; (2) an amino acid corresponding to the amino acid at the position 362 of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1; (3) an amino acid corresponding to the amino acid at the position 402 of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1; (4) an amino acid corresponding to the amino acid at the position 412 of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1; (5) an amino acid corresponding to the amino acid at the position 468 of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1; and others.

An object of the present invention is to obtain a fermentative yeast having a highly efficient ethanol production without introducing a foreign gene. A further object is to obtain a fermentative yeast that is resistant to proliferation inhibitors such as organic acids, which prevent the proliferation of the fermentative yeast. A yeast having an improved ethanol production ability was generated by introducing transaldolase and alcohol dehydrogenase genes by self-cloning to Meyerozyma guilliermondii that can produce ethanol effectively from pentose and hexose obtained by breeding, and further breeding the resultant yeast.

A method and an apparatus are described for the generation of microparticles containing an immobilized functional component, where the following measures are proposed: spraying a liquid (32) containing a soluble alginate and a functional component consisting of molecules or nanoparticles to generate a stream (60) of droplets, directing the stream (60) of droplets onto a precipitation bath (16) and capturing the droplets therein by application of high voltage (14), precipitating the droplets in the precipitation bath (16) via a precipitation liquid (18) containing an alginate complexing agent, such that the droplets are solidified to form microparticles (10) containing the functional component and extracting the microparticles (10) from the precipitation bath (16).

A recombinant host cell capable of biosynthesizing cannabichromenic acid and a construction method thereof, and a method for biosynthesizing cannabichromenic acid through the recombinant host cell. Saccharomyces cerevisiae is taken as a host. First, cannabigerolic acid synthase and cannabichromenic acid synthase are over-expressed in the host; then, a metabolic pathway of a precursor compound, olivetolic acid, synthesizing cannabichromenic acid from saccharides is constructed in the host, a metabolic pathway for hexanoic acid to olivetolic acid is further constructed in the host, an endogenous mevalonate pathway of the host and a metabolic pathway of acetyl-CoA are optimized, cannabichromenic acid synthase is rationally designed, highly active cannabichromenic acid synthase is screened out, and finally, a cannabichromene pathway is located to peroxisomes and lipid droplets by using the cell compartmentalization principle to obtain recombinant Saccharomyces cerevisiae capable of biosynthesizing cannabichromenic acid.