The present invention relates to biomarkers and methods of using the same. Specifically, the present invention relates to biomarkers for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and related disease phenotypes and methods of using the same.

The present disclosure concerns a recombinant yeast host cell exhibiting higher stability and, in some embodiments, higher fermentation performance. The recombinant yeast host cell stability has a limited ability to express an hydrolase during its propagation phase. In return, this limits the cleavage of a yeast cellular component during or after propagation which may be detrimental to the stability and/or fermentation performances. The recombinant yeast host cell expresses a heterologous hydrolase under the control of a heterologous promoter (for limiting the expression of the heterologous hydrolase during propagation and favoring the expression of the heterologous hydrolase during fermentation).

The disclosure relates to mutant gene(s) that confer upon microorganisms that express them an improved capacity to utilize xylose and improved capacity to co-utilize glucose and xylose thereby resulting in improved growth of the microorganism. Further encompassed are methods of producing fatty acids and fatty acid derivatives from cellulosic biomass, xylose, and/or a glucose/xylose mix by employing the host cells expressing the engineered XylR variants and compositions of biologically produced fatty acids and fatty acid derivatives.

The present invention relates to a yeast cell, in particular a recombinant yeast cell, the cell lacking enzymatic activity needed for the NADH-dependent glycerol synthesis or the cell having a reduced enzymatic activity with respect to the NADH-dependent glycerol synthesis compared to its corresponding wild-type yeast cell, the cell comprising one or more heterologous nucleic acid sequences encoding an NAD.sup.+-dependent acetylating acetaldehyde dehydrogenase (EC 1.2.1.10) activity. The invention further relates to the use of a cell according to the invention in the preparation of ethanol.

Compositions and methods for producing aldehydes, alkanes, and alkenes are described herein. The aldehydes, alkanes, and alkenes can be used in biofuels.

The invention provides non-naturally occurring microbial organisms containing a fatty alcohol, fatty aldehyde or fatty acid pathway, wherein the microbial organisms selectively produce a fatty alcohol, fatty aldehyde or fatty acid of a specified length. Also provided are non-naturally occurring microbial organisms having a fatty alcohol, fatty aldehyde or fatty acid pathway, wherein the microbial organisms further include an acetyl-CoA pathway. In some aspects, the microbial organisms of the invention have select gene disruptions or enzyme attenuations that increase production of fatty alcohols, fatty aldehydes or fatty acids. The invention additionally provides methods of using the above microbial organisms to produce a fatty alcohol, a fatty aldehyde or a fatty acid.

Recombinant microorganisms, plants, and plant cells are disclosed that have been engineered to have reduced levels or activity of one or more alcohol dehydrogenases or aldehyde reductases thereby increasing the production of benzylisoquinoline alkaloids and/or benzylisoquinoline alkaloid precursors.

Microorganisms are genetically engineered to produce 3-hydroxypropionate (3-HP). The microorganisms are carboxydotrophic acetogens. The microorganisms produce acetyl-coA using the Wood-Ljungdahl pathway for fixing CO/CO.sub.2. A β-alanine pyruvate aminotransferase from a microorganism that contains such an enzyme is introduced. Additionally, an acetyl-coA carboxylase may also be introduced. The production of 3-HP can be improved. This can be effected by improved promoters or higher copy number or enzymes that are catalytically more efficient.

The present invention relates to the field of bio-production of ectoine. There is a need in the art for ectoine production methods allowing its highly efficient synthesis and secretion. The solution proposed in the present invention is the use of a genetically modified yeast comprising many modifications as described in the present text.

Provided is a carbon monoxide (CO) dehydrogenase with increased oxygen resistance and/or enzyme activity, specifically, a mutant CO dehydrogenase with increased oxygen resistance and/or enzyme activity by mutating amino acid residues. The CO dehydrogenase may detoxify toxic carbon monoxide at room temperature and pressure by easily oxidizing carbon monoxide and converting the same into carbon dioxide, and may effectively oxidize carbon monoxide even in gas including oxygen. Furthermore, since it is possible to remove carbon monoxide, which is emitted in large quantities in industries such as petrochemical and steel industries, cigarette burning, household cooking, various boilers, and combustion, through cigarette filters, air purifiers, intake filters in household cooking equipment, gas boilers, etc. the CO dehydrogenase may be utilized in various ways.