A method and cell line for producing polyketides in yeast. The method applies, and the cell line includes, a yeast cell transformed with a polyketide synthase coding sequence. The polyketide synthase enzyme catalyzes synthesis of olivetol or methyl-olivetol, and may include Dictyostelium discoideum polyketide synthase (“DiPKS”). Wild type DiPKS produces methyl-olivetol only. DiPKS may be modified to produce olivetol only or a mixture of both olivetol and methyl-olivetol. The yeast cell may be modified to include a phosphopantethienyl transferase for increased activity of DiPKS. The yeast cell may be modified to mitigate mitochondrial acetaldehyde catabolism for increasing malonyl-CoA available for synthesizing olivetol or methyl-olivetol.

A method for conferring tolerance to a 4-hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase (HPPD) inhibitor herbicide in a plant by expressing one or more polypeptide components of an exogenous plastoquinone-9 pathway in the plant. Nucleic acids, vectors, transgenic cells and transgenic plants useful in such a method are also disclosed.

The present disclosure relates to processes for desulfurizing hydrocarbon feedstocks. The processes may include introducing a feedstock comprising hydrogen sulfide to an absorber comprising a metal chelate to form a reduced metal chelate. The processes may further include introducing the reduced metal chelate to a photobioreactor comprising a phototrophic bacterium. The present disclosure also relates to apparatuses for desulfurizing hydrocarbon feedstock. An apparatus may include and absorber and a photobioreactor fluidly connected to the absorber. The photobioreactor may be an anaerobic vessel with a light source.

Methods of making and using E,Z,E-GGPP are provided. Also provided are expression cassettes encoding isoprenyl diphosphate synthases, e.g., cis- or trans-isoprenyl diphosphate synthases.

The present disclosure relates to the use of a switch for the production of heterologous non-catabolic compounds in microbial host cells. In one aspect, provided herein are genetically modified microorganisms that produce non-catabolic compounds more stably when serially cultured under aerobic conditions followed by microaerobic conditions, and methods of producing non-catabolic compounds by culturing the genetically modified microbes under such culture conditions. In another aspect, provided herein are genetically modified microorganisms that produce non-catabolic compounds more stably when serially cultured in the presence of maltose followed by the reduction or absence of maltose, and methods of producing non-catabolic compounds by culturing the genetically modified microbes under such culture conditions.

The invention generally relates to methods of producing loline alkaloids or precursors thereof, expression constructs, and host cells useful for producing loline alkaloids or precursors thereof, and methods for producing loline alkaloids or precursors thereof in a host cell.

A method and cell line for producing polyketides in yeast. The method applies, and the cell line includes, a yeast cell transformed with a polyketide synthase coding sequence. The polyketide synthase enzyme catalyzes synthesis of olivetol or methyl-olivetol, and may include Dictyostelium discoideum polyketide synthase (“DiPKS”). Wild type DiPKS produces methyl-olivetol only. DiPKS may be modified to produce olivetol only or a mixture of both olivetol and methyl-olivetol. The yeast cell may be modified to include a phosphopantethienyl transferase for increased activity of DiPKS. The yeast cell may be modified to mitigate mitochondrial acetaldehyde catabolism for increasing malonyl-CoA available for synthesizing olivetol or methyl-olivetol.

The present invention relates to compositions and methods of producing carotenoids and carotenoid derivatives.

The present disclosure relates to the use of a switch for the production of heterologous non-catabolic compounds in microbial host cells. In one aspect, provided herein are genetically modified microorganisms that produce non-catabolic compounds more stably when serially cultured under aerobic conditions followed by microaerobic conditions, and methods of producing non-catabolic compounds by culturing the genetically modified microbes under such culture conditions. In another aspect, provided herein are genetically modified microorganisms that produce non-catabolic compounds more stably when serially cultured in the presence of maltose followed by the reduction or absence of maltose, and methods of producing non-catabolic compounds by culturing the genetically modified microbes under such culture conditions.

A novel PSL family prenyltransferase has relaxed substrate specificity, which can use a variety of cyclic dipeptides and prenyl donors as substrates to produce various terpenylated diketopiperazines. An amino acid sequence of the prenyltransferase is SEQ ID NO:1. An application of the prenyltransferase is transferring different prenyl groups to Trp-containing cyclic dipeptides. The prenyltransferase catalyzes the formation of terpenylated diketopiperazines by assembling prenyl groups onto cyclic di peptides, which provides a new strategy for drug development of diketopiperazines.