Provided herein are methods for generating cellular biomass in continuous aerobic fermentation systems. The biomass yield, and the concentration of polyhydroxyalkanoate within the biomass, are each directed to advantageous levels by operating the continuous fermentation system under particular nutrient limitation conditions. Also provided are biomass produced using the provided methods, and animal feed compositions including the provided biomass.

The present invention relates to a selective process for preparing sulfones from sulfides by enzymatic catalysis, and to a composition comprising a symmetrical sulfide, an oxidoreductase enzyme catalyzing the oxidation of said symmetrical sulfide to symmetrical sulfone; optionally at least one cofactor C of said enzyme E; and an oxidant, which allows in particular the implementation of said process.

Disclosed is a mutant strain having the ability to produce polyhydroxybutyrate. The novel strain has a significantly high growth rate and an improved ability to produce PHB compared to existing PHB-producing cyanobacterial strains. Therefore, the novel strain is suitable for use in the production of PHB and the development of various products using PHB. In addition, the novel strain is useful as a photosynthetic strain for developing a PHB production process using industrial flue gas due to its ability to produce PHB from only CO.sub.2 without any additional organic carbon source. Also disclosed is a method for producing polyhydroxybutyrate using the mutant strain.

Embodiments provide a modified microbe capable of growing in or fermenting a solution, or lignocellulosic hydrolysate, comprising ferulic acid and/or coniferyl aldehyde. The microbe has one or more modifications to provide: (a) a decrease in copy number or expression of a BNA7 gene; (b) an increase in copy number or expression of one or more pentose phosphate pathway genes; and/or (c) localization of one or more products of the pentose phosphate pathway genes to the mitochondria or endoplasmic reticulum. Also provided is a microbe having modified expression or copy number of BNA7 and/or one or more of the pentose phosphate pathway genes. The pentose phosphate pathway genes may in certain embodiments be selected from at least one of ZWF1, TKL1, RPE1 and GND1. Also provided is a method for fermenting a substrate comprising ferulic acid and/or coniferyl aldehyde to produce a fermentation product.

The present disclosure identifies pathways, mechanisms, systems and methods to confer chemoautotrophic production of carbon-based products of interest, such as sugars, alcohols, chemicals, amino acids, polymers, fatty acids and their derivatives, hydrocarbons, isoprenoids, and intermediates thereof, in organisms such that these organisms efficiently convert inorganic carbon to organic carbon-based products of interest using inorganic energy, such as formate, and in particular the use of organisms for the commercial production of various carbon-based products of interest.

Disclosed is the production by fermentation of poly D-lactic acid (PDLA) and poly L-lactic acid (PLLA). In particular, there is provided engineered (prokaryotic or eukaryotic) cells for the direct synthesis of PLLA polymers and engineered eukaryotic cells for the direct synthesis of PDLA polymers starting from a carbon source, including residual biomasses of the different production chains.

A transformant obtained by introducing a DNA of (a1), (a2), or (a3) below, and (b) an alcohol dehydrogenase gene, into a bacterium of the genus Hydrogenophilus, can efficiently produce isobutanol utilizing carbon dioxide as a sole carbon source. (a1) DNA which consists of a base sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1; (a2) DNA which consists of a base sequence having 90% or more identity with SEQ ID NO: 1, the DNA encoding a polypeptide having 2-keto-acid decarboxylase activity; (a3) DNA which hybridizes with a DNA consisting of a base sequence complementary to SEQ ID NO: 1 under stringent conditions, and which encodes a polypeptide having 2-keto-acid decarboxylase activity.

The use of microorganisms to make alpha-functionalized chemicals and fuels, (e.g. alpha-functionalized carboxylic acids, alcohols, hydrocarbons, amines, and their beta-, and omega-functionalized derivatives), by utilizing an iterative carbon chain elongation pathway that uses functionalized extender units. The core enzymes in the pathway include thiolase, dehydrogenase, dehydratase and reductase. Native or engineered thiolases catalyze the condensation of either unsubstituted or functionalized acyl-CoA primers with an alpha-functionalized acetyl-CoA as the extender unit to generate alpha-functionalized β-keto acyl-CoA. Dehydrogenase converts alpha-functionalized β-keto acyl-CoA to alpha-functionalized β-hydroxy acyl-CoA. Dehydratase converts alpha-functionalized β-hydroxy acyl-CoA to alpha-functionalized enoyl-CoA. Reductase converts alpha-functionalized enoyl-CoA to alpha-functionalized acyl-CoA. The platform can be operated in an iterative manner (i.e. multiple turns) by using the resulting alpha-functionalized acyl-CoA as primer and the aforementioned alpha-functionalized extender unit in subsequent turns of the cycle. Termination pathways acting on any of the four alpha-functionalized CoA thioester intermediates terminate the platform and generate various alpha-functionalized carboxylic acids, alcohols and amines with different β-reduction degree.

The present invention relates to a method for the stereo selective production of a trans-diol or a cis-diol or a hydroxyketone comprising the step(s) (i) conversion of a trans-diol or a cis-diol to a hydroxyketone and/or (ii) conversion of a hydroxyketone to a cis-diol or a trans-diol, catalyzed by an enzyme, which is encoded by a nucleic acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: or wherein the enzyme comprises an amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 2. The present invention also relates to the use of an enzyme encoded by a nucleic acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1 or wherein the enzyme comprises an amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 2 for the conversion of a trans-diol to a cis-diol or for the conversion of a trans-diol or a cis-diol to a hydroxyketone and/or the conversion of a hydroxyketone to a trans-diol or a cis-diol.

Described is a method for the incorporation of formaldehyde into biomass comprising the following enzymatically catalyzed steps (1) condensation of pyruvate with formaldehyde into 4-hydroxy-2-oxobutanoic acid (HOB); (2) amination of the thus produced 4-hydroxy-2-oxobutanoic acid (HOB) to produce homoserine; (3) conversion of thus produced homoserine to threonine; (4) conversion of the thus produced threonine into glycine and acetaldehyde or acetyl-CoA; (5) condensation of the thus produced glycine with formaldehyde to produce serine; and (6) conversion of the thus produced serine to produce pyruvate, wherein said pyruvate can then be used as a substrate in step (1).