A recombinant bacteria which is genetically modified to express formate dehydrogenase (FDH), phosphoribulokinase (prk) and Ribulose-Bisphosphate Carboxylase/oxygenase (RuBisCo) is disclosed. The bacteria may be modified to be autotrophic.

The present invention relates to a process for the production of polyunsaturated fatty acids in an organism by introducing, into the organism, nucleic acids which encode polypeptides with ?5-elongase activity. Advantageously, these nucleic acids can be expressed in the organism together with further nucleic acids which encode polypeptides of the biosynthesis of the fatty acid or lipid metabolism. Especially advantageous are nucleic acids which encode ?6-desaturases, ?5-desaturases, ?4-desaturases and/or ?6-elongases. These desaturases and elongases are advantageously derived from Thalassiosira, Euglena or Ostreococcus. The invention furthermore relates to a process for the production of oils and/or triacylglycerides with an elevated content of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, and oils and/or triacylglycerides thus obtained. The invention also relates to the nucleic acids, and constructs, vectors and transgenic organisms comprising the same, as well as oils, lipids and/or fatty acids produced by the process according to the invention and to their use.

The present invention relates to a process for the production of polyunsaturated fatty acids in an organism by introducing, into the organism, nucleic acids which encode polypeptides with 5-elongase activity. Advantageously, these nucleic acids can be expressed in the organism together with further nucleic acids which encode polypeptides of the biosynthesis of the fatty acid or lipid metabolism. Especially advantageous are nucleic acids which encode 6-desaturases, 5-desaturases, 4-desaturases and/or 6-elongases. These desaturases and elongases are advantageously derived from Thalassiosira, Euglena or Ostreococcus. The invention furthermore relates to a process for the production of oils and/or triacylglycerides with an elevated content of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, and oils and/or triacylglycerides thus obtained. The invention also relates to the nucleic acids, and constructs, vectors and transgenic organisms comprising the same, as well as oils, lipids and/or fatty acids produced by the process according to the invention and to their use.

The present invention relates to compositions comprising a polymeric matrix or a gel containing functional enzymes capable of re-creating under culture conditions the cell microenvironment existing in vivo. The present invention also relates to devices for cell cultures comprising such compositions, in particular hydrogel and the use thereof to control the chemical microenvironment of a cell culture or mimic physiological or pathological conditions of the in vivo cells. The compositions and the devices described herein could be also used in vitro for evaluating the therapeutic effect of a compound on a determined cell line or on primary cells.

The present invention relates to a genetically-engineered Mycobacterium strain and a use thereof in the preparation of steroidal compounds. The genetically-engineered Mycobacterium strain is a Mycobacteria which lacks of acyl-CoA dehydrogenase genes fadE31, fadE32 and fadE33, wherein acyl-CoA dehydrogenase genes fadE31, fadE32 and fadE33 respectively encode proteins as follows: having amino acid sequences according to SEQ ID NOs 4, 6 and 8; derived by substituting, deleting or inserting one or more amino acids in the amino acid sequence defined by preceding protein and having the same function as that of the preceding protein. The present invention constructs a genetically-engineered Mycobacterium strain and applies it in preparing steroidal compounds, thereby enriching the types of valuable intermediates, improving the production efficiency and product quality of steroid drugs, reducing energy consumption in the steroid drugs production, simplifying production steps, and reducing production costs.

The present disclosure relates to method for enhanced production of metabolite including but not limiting to isoprene and isoprenoid through chromosomal integration of genes belonging to MEP pathway. The disclosure further relates a host cell for the production of the said metabolite. The method of the present disclosure bypasses the cumbersome method of plasmid application for the production of metabolite. The disclosure also relates to a gene construct comprising MEP genes and auxotrophic markers and a vector comprising the said gene construct.

In a process for producing formate, a mixed enzyme by mixing hydrogenase (H.sub.2ase) with oxygen tolerance and formate dehydrogenase (FDH) with oxygen tolerance is prepared, and the mixed enzyme and a gas including H.sub.2, CO.sub.2 and NAD.sup.+ are mixed such that formate may be produced even in the presence of oxygen, and thereby utilizing hydrogen sources including oxygen, such as coke oven gas.

This disclosure provides a new conceptual framework in which orthogonal, new-to-nature carbon and energy conversion pathways facilitate the synthesis of fuels and chemicals from carboxylic acid intermediates (CAis) driven by genetically altered microorganisms. This allows the CAi platform to generate diverse products at ?100% carbon yield while retaining the established high product and energy efficiencies of fermentative metabolism. In another embodiment, a carboxylic acid platform for fuel and chemical production at high carbon and energy efficiency is also provided.

An engineered yeast strain capable of efficient fermentation of xylose to ethanol, and methods of making and using the strain, are provided.

The disclosure discloses construction and application of an engineered strain of E. coli for producing malic acid by fixing CO.sub.2, and belongs to the field of fermentation. The engineered strain is obtained by performing genetic engineering transformation on Escherichia coli MG1655; the genetic engineering transformation includes knocking out a fumarate reductase gene, a fumarase gene, a lactate dehydrogenase gene and an alcohol dehydrogenase gene and freely overexpressing a formate dehydrogenase, an acetyl coenzyme A synthetase, an acylated acetaldehyde dehydrogenase, a formaldehyde lyase, a dihydroxyacetone kinase, a malic enzyme and a phosphite oxidoreductase to obtain a strain GH0407. The strain is used for producing malic acid by fermentation, anaerobic fermentation is performed for 72 hours with CO.sub.2 and glucose as a co-substrate, the production of malic acid reaches 39 g/L, the yield is 1.53 mol/mol, and accumulation of malic acid in the original strain is not achieved.