To provide a series of techniques capable of producing isoprene from syngas or the like. Provided is a recombinant cell prepared by introducing a nucleic acid encoding isoprene synthase into a host cell having an isopentenyl diphosphate synthesis ability by a non-mevalonate pathway, wherein the nucleic acid is expressed in the host cell, and the recombinant cell is capable of producing isoprene from at least one C1 compound selected from the group consisting of carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, formic acid, and methanol. As the host cell, a Clostridium bacterium or a Moorella bacterium is exemplified. Also provided is a method for producing isoprene using the recombinant cell.

The present invention describes the use of thio-phosphate in the metabolic engineering of E. coli. Thio-phosphate can be used to increase the metabolic flux in important synthetic pathways to enhance the production of bioproducts. The pathways impacted include the following: fatty acid synthesis, isoprenoid syntheses, Vit K2 synthesis, ribonucleotide synthesis, and the synthesis of phosphoribosyl pyrophosphate (PRPP) derivatives like 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide (AICA riboside), histidine, and tryptophan. Thus, thio-phosphate can be used to assist in the production of these molecules and/or their derivatives. Enhanced production of AICA in Bacillus megaterium is also demonstrated.

The present specification discloses a transformed Synechococcus elongatus strain which may directly produce squalene from carbon dioxide, and a method for producing squalene and a method for removing carbon dioxide, using the same. In an aspect, the strain may produce squalene using carbon dioxide as a carbon source. The Synechococcus elongatus strain is economically efficient because a high-value added squalene is produced using light and carbon dioxide present in the atmosphere as a carbon source, and the method for producing squalene is eco-friendly because the strain may be utilized to remove or reduce carbon dioxide in the atmosphere by using microorganisms. The strain of the present disclosure may produce only squalene, which is a desired target material with high purity, and has an advantage in that squalene may be continuously mass-produced.

The invention features methods for producing isoprene from cultured cells wherein the cells in the stationary phase. The invention also provides compositions that include these cultured cells and/or increased amount of isoprene. The invention also provides for systems that include a non-flammable concentration of isoprene in the gas phase. Additionally, the invention provides isoprene compositions, such as compositions with increased amount of isoprene or increased purity.

The present invention provides a method of producing β-santalene, said method comprising contacting at least one polypeptide with farnesyl pyrophosphate (FPP). In particular, said method may be carried out in vitro or in vivo to produce β-santalene, a very useful compound in the fields of perfumery and flavoring. The present invention also provides the amino acid sequence of a polypeptide useful in the method of the invention. A nucleic acid encoding the polypeptide of the invention and an expression vector containing said nucleic acid are also part of the present invention. A non-human host organism or a cell transformed to be used in the method of producing β-santalene is also an object of the present invention.

The present invention provides for a system for converting CO.sub.2 and H.sub.2 to one or more biologically derived compounds. In some embodiments, the system comprises a host cell comprising one or more nucleic acids encoding genes for a recombinant surface display protein which is capable of tethering an electrocatalyst molecule, such as a cobalt(II) complex supported by tetradentate polypyridyl ligand 2-bis(2-pyridyl)(methoxy)methyl-6-pyridylpyridine (PY4), and enzymes for synthesizing a biologically derived compound, such as an alkane, alcohol, fatty acid, ester, or isoprenoid.

In one aspect, the present invention provides a method for preparing a sugar composition. The method includes: forming a mixture including polysaccharide biomass and an ionic liquid solution, wherein the ionic liquid solution contains water and an ionic liquid, and wherein the ionic liquid contains a dicarboxylic acid anion and a cation. The pH of the mixture is greater than or equal to about 10, and the molar ratio of the dicarboxylic acid anion to the cation is at least about 1:2. The method further includes: maintaining the mixture under conditions sufficient to dissolve at least a portion of the polysaccharide present in the polysaccharide biomass; reducing the pH of the mixture containing the dissolved polysaccharide to at least about 7; adding at least one glycoside hydrolase to the mixture having the reduced pH

The present invention relates to the control of gene expression by a heterologous glucose-regulated promoter, to microorganisms in which gene expression is controlled by a heterologous glucose-regulated promoter and to methods using said microorganisms for the production of terpenes during glucose-limited fed-batch fermentation.

The present disclosure describes biocatalytic processes for producing a product, comprising providing an aqueous stream (AS) comprising at least one fermentable substrate and a gaseous stream (GS) comprising at least one of CO.sub.2/H.sub.2, H.sub.2, methane, and/or CO to a fermentation zone, wherein the GS and AS stream are optionally contacted and/or mixed; the fermentation zone comprising at least one organism capable of metabolizing an AS substrate and a GS substrate, wherein the fermentation operates at conditions to mixotrophically metabolize at least one gaseous substrate in the GS and at least one substrate in the AS, producing the product. The present disclosure also describes compositions comprising an AS, a GS, and an organism, wherein the organism or an equivalent or engineered equivalent thereof is a methanotroph or a hydrogen-metabolizing or CO-metabolizing chemolithotrophic organism, and wherein the organism is capable of mixotrophic metabolism of at least one gaseous substrate in the GS and at least one substrate in the AS. The present disclosure also describes a process wherein said fermentation operates at conditions to mixotrophically metabolize at least H.sub.2 in the gaseous stream and glycerol and lactic acid in the aqueous stream. The present disclosure also describes a system for producing a fermentation or bio-derived product.

Methods for concentrating biofuel precursors, including terpenes such as farnesyl and geranylgeranyl derivatives, are based on the prenylation of peptides in living organisms, such as plant or algae cells. Generally, an expression vector containing a gene encoding a small peptide with a preferred amino acid sequence is used to produce a transgenic organism. Expression of the gene in the cells produces a short peptide which is processed by the protein prenylation machinery of the cell. This results in a peptide-prenyl fusion in which a sesqui- or di-terpene molecule is attached to the peptide. Due to its small size and amphiphilic properties, this molecule forms micelles which allow the sesqui- or di-terpene to accumulate to high concentrations within the cell. The peptide-prenyl micelles are then extracted and purified for use preferably as a biofuel.