The invention relates to a whole-cell catalyst which expresses a recombinant α-dioxygenase or the combination of a recombinant fatty acid reductase and a phosphopantetheinyl transferase which phosphopantetheinylates the fatty acid reductase, and which expresses, in addition to the α-dioxygenase and/or the combination of fatty acid reductase and phosphopantetheinyl transferase, a transaminase, wherein the phosphopantetheinyl transferase and/or transaminase is preferably recombinant; and also to a process for converting a carboxylic acid or dicarboxylic acid or a monoester thereof to an amine or diamine, comprising the steps of contacting the carboxylic acid or dicarboxylic acid or the monoester thereof with a phosphopantetheinylated fatty acid reductase or an α-dioxygenase and contacting the product with a transaminase.

The invention provides a non-naturally occurring microbial organism having a 6-aminocaproic acid, caprolactam, hexametheylenediamine or levulinic acid pathway. The microbial organism contains at least one exogenous nucleic acid encoding an enzyme in the respective 6-aminocaproic acid, caprolactam, hexametheylenediamine or levulinic acid pathway. The invention additionally provides a method for producing 6-aminocaproic acid, caprolactam, hexametheylenediamine or levulinic acid. The method can include culturing a 6-aminocaproic acid, caprolactam or hexametheylenediamine producing microbial organism, where the microbial organism expresses at least one exogenous nucleic acid encoding a 6-aminocaproic acid, caprolactam, hexametheylenediamine or levulinic acid pathway enzyme in a sufficient amount to produce the respective product, under conditions and for a sufficient period of time to produce 6-aminocaproic acid, caprolactam, hexametheylenediamine or levulinic acid.

The invention relates to a method for producing aminobenzoic acid or an aminobenzoic acid derivative using a fermentation process, in which (I) the aminobenzoic acid formed in the fermentation broth obtained by the fermentation is bound in part, or as much as possible based on the solubility equilibrium, as insoluble calcium-aminobenzoate, said insoluble calcium-aminobenzoate is then (II) either isolated as such or in a mixture with the microorganism used in the fermentation and transitioned into a water soluble form, while separating an insoluble calcium salt which is different from the calcium-aminobenzoate, and then (III) by introducing carbon dioxide under pressure into the aqueous solution from the precipitated calcium salt has been released, aminobenzoic acid is precipitated.

This document describes biochemical pathways for producing pimeloyl-CoA using a polypeptide having the enzymatic activity of a hydroperoxide lyase to form non-3-enal and 9-oxononanoate from 9-hydroxyperoxyoctadec-10,12-dienoate. Non-3-enal and 9-oxononanoate can be enzymatically converted to pimeloyl-CoA or a salt thereof using one or more polypeptides having the activity of a dehydrogenase, a CoA ligase, an isomerase, a reductase, a thioesterase, a monooxygenase, a hydratase, and/or a thiolase. Pimeloyl-CoA can be enzymatically converted to pimelic acid, 7-aminoheptanoic acid, 7-hydroxyheptanoic acid, heptamethylenediamine, or 1,7-heptanediol, or corresponding salts thereof. This document also describes recombinant microorganisms producing pimeloyl-CoA, as well as pimelic acid, 7-aminoheptanoic acid, 7-hydroxyheptanoic acid, heptamethylenediamine, and 1,7-heptanediol, or corresponding salts thereof.

The invention provides a whole cell catalyst which expresses a recombinant α-dioxygenase or the combination of a recombinant fatty acid reductase and a phosphopantetheinyl transferase phosphopantetheinylating the fatty acid reductase, and which in addition to the α-dioxygenase and/or the combination of fatty acid reductase and phosphopantetheinyl transferase expresses a transaminase, characterized in that the phosphopantetheinyl transferase and/or transaminase is preferably recombinant; and a method for the conversion of a fatty acid, ω-hydroxy fatty acid, ω-oxo fatty acid or a monoester thereof to an amine, comprising oxidation of the fatty acid, ω-hydroxy fatty acid, ω-oxo fatty acid or the monoester thereof to an oxidation product by contacting with an alkane hydroxylase and/or alcohol dehydrogenase, contacting the oxidation product with a phosphopantetheinylated fatty acid reductase or a α-dioxygenase to give an aldehyde, and contacting the aldehyde with a transaminase.

A method of continuously producing 5-aminolevulinic acid employs the photosynthetic bacteria-derived photosynthetic membrane vesicle, succinyl-CoA synthetase, and 5-aminolevulinic acid synthase. The enzymatic synthesis of 5-aminolevulinic acid directly from succinic acid and glycine may be simple, but the synthesis is not inexpensive due to the supply of ATP and CoA, which are relatively expensive reactants. The photosynthetic membrane vesicle is used together with succinyl-CoA synthetase and 5-aminolevulinic acid synthase, thereby enabling the re-use of adenosine diphosphate or CoA in reaction. Accordingly, relatively expensive 5-aminolevulinic acid can be efficiently produced at low manufacturing costs from succinic acid and glycine.

The present invention relates to host cells transformed with a nucleic acid sequence encoding a eukaryotic xylose isomerase obtainable from an anaerobic fungus. When expressed, the sequence encoding the xylose isomerase confers to the host cell the ability to convert xylose to xylulose which may be further metabolized by the host cell. Thus, the host cell is capable of growth on xylose as carbon source. The host cell preferably is a eukaryotic microorganism such as a yeast or a filamentous fungus. The invention further relates to processes for the production of fermentation products such as ethanol, in which a host cell of the invention uses xylose for growth and for the production of the fermentation product. The invention further relates to nucleic acid sequences encoding eukaryotic xylose isomerases and xylulose kinases as obtainable from anaerobic fungi.

Recombinant microorganisms comprising at least one exogenous nucleic acid sequence and capable of producing adipate semialdehyde are provided. Adipate semialdehyde may be produced in a synthesis pathway utilizing a single thiolase reaction. Adipate semialdehyde may also be produced from intermediates consisting of alpha, omega difunctional aliphatic organic molecules. Methods of using recombinant microorganisms to produce 6-aminocaproic acid, adipic acid, hexamethylenediamine and 1.6-hexanediol are also provided.

A mutant lysine decarboxylase produced by replacing at least one of the amino acids in SEQ ID NO:4 with another amino acid.

There is provided a method of producing aminohexanoic acid and/or aminohexanoic acid ester from synthesis gas, the method comprising: A. contacting the synthesis gas with at least one bacteria capable of carrying out the Wood-Ljungdahl pathway and the ethanol-carboxylate fermentation to produce hexanoic acid; and B. contacting the hexanoic acid with a genetically modified cell to produce aminohexanoic acid and/or aminohexanoic acid ester, wherein the genetically modified cell has an increased activity, in comparison with its wild type, of alkane monooxygenase, alcohol dehydrogenase, and ω-transaminase.