The present disclosure relates to the field of bioengineering and pharmaceutical and chemical production. In particular, provided is a polynucleotide comprising a coding sequence of toluene dioxygenase. Also provided are an expression cassette, a vector and a host cell comprising the polynucleotide, as well as use thereof in the preparation of cis-cyclohexadiene o-diol compounds.

Methods and systems are provided for generating and utilizing a genetically engineered bacterium comprising a modification in a nifA gene or homolog thereof that can result in a bacterium with modified regulation of nitrogen fixation or assimilation activity. Genetically engineered bacteria with modified nitrogen fixation or assimilation activity are also provided. The genetically engineered bacterium can fix nitrogen in the presence of nitrogen (e.g., ammonium), and/or oxygen.

The present invention relates to a novel polypeptide having the enzymatic activity of reduction of NADP+ using electrons from reduced ferredoxin (Ferredoxin-NADP+ reductase activity), a polynucleotide having a nucleotide sequence encoding such polypeptide and uses thereof. The invention relates to the modulation of the Ferredoxin NADP+ reductase activity in a microorganism by varying the expression level of the polynucleotide coding for such polypeptide. The invention also relates to the production of commodity chemicals, especially ethanol, n-butanol, 1,3-propanediol, 1,2-propanediol, isopropanol and acetone by fermenting microorganisms wherein their Ferredoxin NADP+ reductase activity is modulated.

The present invention is generally directed to fusion proteins containing a targeting sequence that targets the fusion protein to the exosporium of a Bacillus cereus family member. The invention also relates to recombinant Bacillus cereus family members expressing such fusion proteins and formulations containing the recombinant Bacillus cereus family members expressing the fusion proteins. Methods for stimulating plant growth, for protecting plants from pathogens, and for enhancing stress resistance in a plant by applying the recombinant Bacillus cereus family members or the formulations to plants or a plant growth medium are also described. The invention also relates to methods for immobilizing spores of a recombinant Bacillus cereus family member expressing a fusion protein on plants.

The present disclosure provides compositions and methods for using modified hydrogenotrophic microorganisms capable of biologically utilizing or converting CO and/or CO.sub.2 gas, optionally in the presence of H.sub.2, into methionine.

The present disclosure is directed to the biosynthetic pathway for a nonribosomal peptide synthetase (NRPS) derived drug and analogs thereof. The invention provides polynucleotide sequences useful for heterologous expression in a convenient microbial host for the synthesis of the NRPS-derived drug, the polypeptides encoded by such polynucleotides, expression vectors comprising the polynucleotides, host cells comprising the polynucleotides or expression vectors, and kits comprising a host cell. Also provided is a method for the production of ET-743, the NRPS-derived drug.

Disclosed herein are biohybrid protein complexes capable of using light energy to photocatalyze the reduction of N.sub.2 into NH.sub.3. Also provided are methods of using biohybrid protein complexes to enzymatically reduce N.sub.2 to NH.sub.3 using light rather than chemical energy as the driving force. These methods may also include the production and isolation of ammonia, hydrogen or both.

The present invention relates to methods and means for producing nitrogenase polypeptides in the mitochondria of plant cells. The present disclosure provides plant cells that express one or more MTP-Nif fusions and/or translational NifD-NifK and NifE-NifN fusions. The present disclosure also provides nucleic acid constructs encoding these fusions as well as expression constructs for expression and targeting of the fusions to the mitochondria of plant cells. The present disclosure also provides transgenic plants comprising the plant cells of the invention and products obtained therefrom.

Disclosed herein are methods of increasing nitrogen fixation in a non-leguminous plant. The methods can comprise exposing the plant to a plurality of bacteria. Each member of the plurality comprises one or more genetic variations introduced into one or more genes or non-coding polynucleotides of the bacteria's nitrogen fixation or assimilation genetic regulatory network, such that the bacteria are capable of fixing atmospheric nitrogen in the presence of exogenous nitrogen. The bacteria are not intergeneric microorganisms. Additionally, the bacteria, in planta, produce 1% or more of the fixed nitrogen in the plant.

The present disclosure provides engineered photosynthetic cells and organisms, methods for engineering photosynthetic cells and organisms with increased extracellular electron transport, photo-bioelectrochemical cells (PBECs), anodes for a PBECs and/or photosynthetic microbial fuel cells (PMFCs), methods of generating an electrical current with PBECs, and methods and systems for generating H.sub.2 fuel.