The invention provides isolated nucleic acids and isolated polypeptides involved in the synthesis of hydrocarbons and hydrocarbon intermediates. Homologs of, conservative variants of, and sequences having at least about 35% sequence identity with nucleic acids involved in the synthesis of hydrocarbons and hydrocarbon intermediates are also provided. The invention further provides methods for producing an aliphatic ketone or a hydrocarbon, as well as a method for identifying an enzyme useful for the production of hydrocarbons.

Described herein are methods of producing (+)-manool, the methods including: contacting geranylgeranyl diphosphate with a copalyl diphosphate (CPP) synthase to form a (9S, 10S)-copalyl diphosphate and contacting the CPP with a sclareol synthase enzyme to form (+)-manool and derivatives thereof. Also described herein are nucleic acids encoding CPP synthases and sclareol synthases for use in the methods. Further described herein are expression vectors and non-human host organisms and cells including nucleic acids encoding a CPP synthase and a sclareol synthase as described herein.

Provided herein are methods of producing (+)-manool comprising: contacting geranylgeranyl diphosphate with an copalyl diphosphate (CPP) synthase to form a (9S, 10S)-copalyl diphosphate wherein the CPP synthase comprises an amino acid sequence having at least 90%, 95%, 98%, 99% and 100% sequence identity to a polypeptide selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NO: 1 and SEQ ID NO:2; and contacting the CPP with a sclareol synthase enzyme to form (+)-manool.

Diterpene synthases and methods of their use are described herein.

The present invention relates to a method of producing drimenol and/or drimenol derivatives by contacting at least one polypeptide with farnesyl diphosphate. The method may be performed in vitro or in vivo. The present invention also provides amino acid sequences of polypeptides useful in the method of the invention and nucleic acid encoding the polypeptides of the invention. The method further provides host cells or organisms genetically modified to express the polypeptides of the invention and useful to produce drimenol and/or drimenol derivatives.

The present disclosure provides recombinant microorganisms and methods for the production of 4-HMF, 2,4-furandimethanol, furan-2,4-dicarbaldehyde, 4-(hydroxymethyl)furoic acid, 2-formylfuran-4-carboxylate, 4-formylfuran-2-carboxylate, and/or 2,4-FDCA from a carbon source. The method provides for engineered microorganisms that express endogenous and/or exogenous nucleic acid molecules that catalyze the conversion of a carbon source into 4-HMF, 2,4-furandimethanol, furan-2,4-dicarbaldehyde, 4-(hydroxymethyl)furoic acid, 2-formylfuran-4-carboxylate, 4-formylfuran-2-carboxylate, and/or 2,4-FDCA. The disclosure further provides methods of producing polymers derived from 4-HMF, 2,4-furandimethanol, furan-2,4-dicarbaldehyde, 4-(hydroxymethyl)furoic acid, 2-formylfuran-4-carboxylate, 4-formylfuran-2-carboxylate, and/or 2,4-FDCA.

Engineered microorganisms are provided that convert gaseous substrates, such as producer gas, into limonene. In some embodiments, limonene is pumped out of the cell via an efflux pump. In some embodiments, limonene, produced as described herein, is converted through catalytic dimerization into jet fuel. Producer gas used in the processes described herein for production of limonene may be derived from sources that include gasification of waste feedstock and/or biomass residue, waste gas from industrial processes, or natural gas, biogas, or landfill gas.

The present invention relates to the field of plant molecular biology. More particularly, the present invention relates to the isolation of nucleic acids encoding terpene synthases (TPSs), including a novel, multifunctional TPS identified herein as CoTPS2.

The invention provides non-naturally occurring microbial organisms containing an alkene pathway having at least one exogenous nucleic acid encoding an alkene pathway enzyme expressed in a sufficient amount to convert an alcohol to an alkene. The invention additionally provides methods of using such microbial organisms to produce an alkene, by culturing a non-naturally occurring microbial organism containing an alkene pathway as described herein under conditions and for a sufficient period of time to produce an alkene.

The invention relates to recombinant microorganisms and methods for producing manoyl oxide.