The present invention relates to Candida strains comprising a mutation or deletion in the first and/or second XYL2 allele which can be used for producing one or more sugar alcohols from a lignocellulosic feedstock. The preferred sugar alcohol is xylitol.

The invention is directed to novel variant glucoamylases.

The invention is directed to novel variant glucoamylases.

Glucuronosyltransferase 1 gene which catalyzes glucuronic acid transfer to the hydroxyl group at the 3-position in an oleanane-type triterpenoid is identified. Glucuronosyltransferase 1 gene having a desired activity, derived from a Fabaceae plant (soybean, Glycyrrhiza, and Lotus japonicus), and containing nucleotide sequences represented by SEQ ID Nos: 2, 4, and 6, respectively, is provided.

Glucuronosyltransferase 1 gene which catalyzes glucuronic acid transfer to the hydroxyl group at the 3-position in an oleanane-type triterpenoid is identified. Glucuronosyltransferase 1 gene having a desired activity, derived from a Fabaceae plant (soybean, Glycyrrhiza, and Lotus japonicus), and containing nucleotide sequences represented by SEQ ID Nos: 2, 4, and 6, respectively, is provided.

The invention provides lipid bodies isolated from yeast, compositions comprising the lipid bodies, products made from the lipid bodies, methods of making the lipid bodies, and methods of using the lipid bodies. The lipid bodies of the invention have an exceptionally large size and high internal neutral lipid content, providing a number of advantages for a variety of practical applications.

The subject invention provides materials and methods for producing, isolating, extracting and purifying single-molecule products. The subject invention provides materials and methods for extracting microbial metabolites at a high level of purity, for example, a purity of at least 80% by weight, and preferably at least 95% by weight or more. Specifically, the subject invention provides materials and methods for isolating or extracting biosurfactants and polyketides at a high level of purity. Preferably, the biosurfactant is a sophorolipid (SLP).

The subject invention provides materials and methods for producing, isolating, extracting and purifying single-molecule products. The subject invention provides materials and methods for extracting microbial metabolites at a high level of purity, for example, a purity of at least 80% by weight, and preferably at least 95% by weight or more. Specifically, the subject invention provides materials and methods for isolating or extracting biosurfactants and polyketides at a high level of purity. Preferably, the biosurfactant is a sophorolipid (SLP).

Microbial consortia exert great influence over the physiology of humans, animals, plants, and ecosystems. However, difficulty in controlling their composition and population dynamics have limited their application in medicine, agriculture, biotechnology, and the environment. The approach disclosed herein provides an effective method to dynamically control population compositions in microbial consortia, which we demonstrate in the context of co-culture fermentations for chemical production. Co-culture fermentations can improve chemical production from complex biosynthetic pathways over monocultures by distributing enzymes across multiple strains, thereby reducing metabolic burden, overcoming endogenous regulatory mechanisms, or exploiting natural traits of different microbial species. However, stabilizing and optimizing microbial sub-populations for maximal chemical production remains a major obstacle in the field. An optogenetic circuit, called OptoTA, is disclosed for regulating a toxin-antitoxin system, which enables tunability of, e.g., Escherichia coli growth using only blue light. With the disclosed system, one can control population ratios of co-cultures of, e.g., E. coli and Saccharomyces cerevisiae containing different metabolic modules of biosynthetic pathways. Results reveal that intermediate light duty cycles improve chemical production by establishing optimal co-culture populations.

Microbial consortia exert great influence over the physiology of humans, animals, plants, and ecosystems. However, difficulty in controlling their composition and population dynamics have limited their application in medicine, agriculture, biotechnology, and the environment. The approach disclosed herein provides an effective method to dynamically control population compositions in microbial consortia, which we demonstrate in the context of co-culture fermentations for chemical production. Co-culture fermentations can improve chemical production from complex biosynthetic pathways over monocultures by distributing enzymes across multiple strains, thereby reducing metabolic burden, overcoming endogenous regulatory mechanisms, or exploiting natural traits of different microbial species. However, stabilizing and optimizing microbial sub-populations for maximal chemical production remains a major obstacle in the field. An optogenetic circuit, called OptoTA, is disclosed for regulating a toxin-antitoxin system, which enables tunability of, e.g., Escherichia coli growth using only blue light. With the disclosed system, one can control population ratios of co-cultures of, e.g., E. coli and Saccharomyces cerevisiae containing different metabolic modules of biosynthetic pathways. Results reveal that intermediate light duty cycles improve chemical production by establishing optimal co-culture populations.