A biopolymer, which exists in a liquid phase at room temperature, a use thereof, and a preparation method therefor are provided.

The present invention relates to a shuttle plasmid replicable in Clostridium and E. coli, the shuttle plasmid comprising: a nucleotide sequence of the first replication origin allowing replication in E. coli; a nucleotide sequence coding for a replication protein region derived from pUB110 plasmid; and an expression terminator sequence of a gene.

The present disclosure provides methods and compositions for producing rotundone. In various aspects, the present disclosure provides enzymes, polynucleotides encoding said enzymes, and recombinant microbial host cells (or microbial host strains) for the production of rotundone. In some embodiments, the present disclosure provides microbial host cells for producing rotundone at high purity and/or yield, from either enzymatic transformation of α-guaiene, or from sugar or other carbon source. The present disclosure further provides methods of making products containing rotundone, including flavor or fragrance products, among others.

A method of producing a modified Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast strain with enhanced resistance (or tolerance) to pretreatment-derived microbial inhibitors such as furans, phenolics and weak acids is provided, which comprises integrating at least one copy of the TAL1 gene and at least one copy of two or more of the FDH1, AR11 and ADH6 genes into the S. cerevisiae genome. A modified yeast strain so obtained is also provided, the modified yeast strain being capable of simultaneously overexpressing these genes relative to a yeast strain which hasn't been modified in the same manner. S. cerevisiae strains which have been modified as described herein can be used to ferment lignocellulosic hydrolysates containing pretreatment inhibitors such as furans, phenolics and weak acids. Suitable lignocellulosic hydrolysates include sugarcane bagasse (SCB) and waste streams from the pulp and paper industry, such as spent sulphite liquor (SSL).

Recombinant cells and methods for producing methyl ketones, such as medium-chain methyl ketones. The recombinant cells include recombinant acyl-ACP thioesterase genes, recombinant β-ketoacyl-CoA thioesterase genes, and recombinant acyl-CoA synthetase genes, in addition to other modifications. The methods include culturing the recombinant cells to produce the methyl ketones and isolating the produced methyl ketones.

The disclosure relates to engineered ketoreductase polypeptides and processes of using the polypeptides for production of phenylephrine.

The invention provides recombinant microorganisms and methods for the production of acetone from gaseous substrates. For example, the recombinant microorganism may be modified to express an exogenous thiolase, an exogenous CoA transferase, and an exogenous decarboxylase.

The present disclosure is related to genetically engineered microbial strains and related bioprocesses for the production of xylitol. Specifically, the use of dynamically controlled synthetic metabolic valves to reduce the activity of certain enzymes, leads to increased xylitol production in a two-stage process.

An acetyl-CoA producing microorganism obtained by imparting at least one enzymatic activity selected from the group consisting of malate thiokinase, malyl-CoA lyase, glyoxylate carboligase, 2-hydroxy-3-oxopropionate reductase, and hydroxypyruvate reductase, to a microorganism that does not have any of the following (a), (b), (c), (d) or (e): (a) a carbon dioxide fixation cycle including an enzymatic reaction from malonyl-CoA to malonate semialdehyde or 3-hydroxypropionate; (b) a carbon dioxide fixation cycle including an enzymatic reaction from acetyl-CoA and CO.sub.2 to pyruvate; (c) a carbon dioxide fixation cycle including an enzymatic reaction from crotonyl-CoA and CO.sub.2 to ethylmalonyl-CoA or glutaconyl-CoA; (d) a carbon dioxide fixation cycle including an enzymatic reaction from CO.sub.2 to formate; or (e) at least one selected from the group consisting of malate thiokinase and malyl-CoA lyase.

The present invention relates to the field of production of novel biosurfactants. More specifically, the present invention relates to the efficient generation of short chained on-glycosides with less than 10%, preferably less than 1%, ω-1 glycosides using a fungal strain such as the yeast Starmerella bombicola having a dysfunctional CYP52M1 cytochrome P450 monooxygenase and a dysfunctional FAO1 fatty alcohol oxidase to produce high amounts of so-called unsaturated (symmetrical) α,ω-bola glycosides free from contaminating α,ω-1 bola glycosides, and subjecting said unsaturated (symmetrical) α,ω-bola glycosides to conditions inducing the breaking of the present double bond(s) such as for example through ozonolysis performed in water. More specifically, the present invention discloses the generation of (acetylated) C9:0 ω-sophoroside aldehydes, C9:0 ω-glucoside aldehydes, C9:0 ω-glucolipids, C9:0 ω-sophorolipids, C9:0 ω-sophoroside alcohols and C9:0 ω-glucoside alcohols and their further derivatives. The present invention also discloses methods to produce alkyl sophorosides in increased ratios.