The present disclosure provides engineered ketoreductase enzymes having improved properties as compared to a naturally occurring wild-type ketoreductase enzyme. Also provided are polynucleotides encoding the engineered ketoreductase enzymes, host cells capable of expressing the engineered ketoreductase enzymes, and methods of using the engineered ketoreductase enzymes to synthesize a variety of chiral compounds. The engineered ketoreductase polypeptides are optimized for catalyzing the conversion of N-methyl-3-keto-3-(2-thienyl)-1-propanamine to (S)—N-methyl-3-hydroxy-3-(2-thienyl)-1-propanamine.

A combination of an electrochemical device for delivering reducing equivalents to a cell, and engineered metabolic pathways within the cell capable of utilizing the electrochemically provided reducing equivalents is disclosed. Such a combination allows the production of commodity chemicals by fermentation to proceed with increased carbon efficiency.

A nanoparticle (for example, quantum dot) serves as a substrate for immobilizing enzymes involved in consecutive reactions as a cascade. This results in a significant increase in the rate of catalysis as well as final product yield compared to non-immobilized enzymes.

The present invention relates to a composition or combination for the production of butanol and isopropanol, comprising an acetone-butanol-ethanol (ABE)-producing Clostridium strain and a genetically engineered B. subtilis strain, wherein said genetically engineered B. subtilis strain has been transformed by at least one polynucleotide molecule; the at least one polynucleotide molecule comprising a secondary alcohol dehydrogenase gene operably linked to at least one promoter. The invention also relates to methods of producing butanol and isopropanol in a co-culture, methods of producing butyrate, isopropanol and butanol in a co-culture and methods of producing esters.

A method for the preparation of 2,4-dihydroxybutyric acid from homoserine includes a first step of conversion of the primary amino group of homoserine to a carbonyl group to obtain 2-oxo-4-hydroxybutyrate, and a second step of reduction of the obtained 2-oxo-4-hydroxybutyrate (OHB) to 2,4-dihydroxybutyrate.

Methods for making nanocomposites are provided. In an embodiment, such a method comprises combining a first type of nanostructure with a bulk material in water or an aqueous solution, the first type of nanostructure functionalized with a functional group capable of undergoing van der Waals interactions with the bulk material, whereby the first type of nanostructure induces exfoliation of the bulk material to provide a second, different type of nanostructure while inducing association between the first and second types of nanostructures to form the nanocomposite.

A mutant cytochrome protein originated from a cytochrome protein having three heme-binding domains, which mutant cytochrome protein lacks the first heme-binding domain and the second heme-binding domain as counted from the N-terminus, is provided. The mutant cytochrome protein may lack a region(s) containing the first and second heme-binding domains.

The disclosure relates, in some aspects, to compositions and methods useful for production of nitrated aromatic molecules. The disclosure is based, in part, on whole cell systems expressing artificial fusion proteins comprising cytochrome P450 enzymes linked to reductase enzymes. In some aspects, the disclosure relates to methods of producing nitrated aromatic molecules in whole cell systems having artificial fusion proteins comprising cytochrome P450 enzymes linked to reductase enzymes.

The subject invention provides materials and methods for producing and purifying sophorolipids (SLP). More specifically, the subject invention provides materials and methods for the purification of both hydrophobic and hydrophilic SLP molecules to a purity of, for example, at least 80% by weight, preferably at least 95% by weight, without using solvents or centrifugation. Advantageously, the subject invention is suitable for industrial scale production of purified SLP for use in, for example, cleaning products and detergents, and uses safe and environmentally-friendly materials and processes.

Genetically modified microorganisms that have the ability to convert carbon substrates into chemical products such as isobutanol are disclosed. For example, genetically modified methanotrophs that are capable of generating isobutanol at high titers from a methane source are disclosed. Methods of making these genetically modified microorganisms and methods of using them are also disclosed.