Provided are the herbicide-tolerant, aromatic (jasmine) rice cultivar designated ‘CLJ01’ and its hybrids and derivatives. The present invention provides a method for controlling weeds in the vicinity of rice, comprising contacting the rice with an herbicide, wherein said rice belongs to any of (a) variety ‘CLJ01’ or (b) a hybrid, derivative, or progeny of ‘CLJOV that expresses the imidazolinone herbicide resistance characteristics of ‘CLJOV. In some embodiments, the rice plants of the present invention include plants that comprise an AHAS mutant polypeptide that confers an increased tolerance to an imidazolinone herbicide when compared to a wild-type rice plant.

The invention provides non-naturally occurring microbial organisms having a formaldehyde fixation pathway, a formate assimilation pathway, and/or a methanol metabolic pathway in combination with a fatty alcohol, fatty aldehyde, fatty acid or isopropanol pathway, wherein the microbial organisms selectively produce a fatty alcohol, fatty aldehyde or fatty acid of a specified length or isopropanol. The microbial organisms provided advantageously enhance the production of substrates and/or pathway intermediates for the production of chain length specific fatty alcohols, fatty aldehydes, fatty acids or isopropanol. 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, a fatty acid or isopropanol.

Related are a recombinant microorganism for producing L-valine, a construction method and an application thereof. Through transferring an amino acid dehydrogenase gene and/or activating activity of a transhydrogenase and/or a NAD kinase, reducing power of NADPH in cell is increased, the titer and yield of L-valine generated by Escherichia coli are improved, and the production of L-valine by one-step anaerobic fermentation is achieved.

Described herein are devices and methods for using the same to produce carotenoids. The carotenoids produced by the devices and methods disclosed herein do not require the ultra purification that is common in conventional or commercial methods. The devices and methods disclosed herein also enhance one or more physical properties of plants treated with the devices described herein.

The present invention provides for a mechanism to completely replace the electron accepting function of glycerol formation with an alternative pathway to ethanol formation, thereby reducing glycerol production and increasing ethanol production. In some embodiments, the invention provides for a recombinant microorganism comprising a down-regulation in one or more native enzymes in the glycerol-production pathway. In some embodiments, the invention provides for a recombinant microorganism comprising an up-regulation in one or more enzymes in the ethanol-production pathway.

A genetically engineered strain having high-yield of L-valine is disclosed. Starting from Escherichia coli W3110, an acetolactate synthase gene alsS of Bacillus subtilis is inserted into a genome thereof and overexpressed; a ppGpp 3′-pyrophosphate hydrolase mutant R290E/K292D gene spoTM of Escherichia coli is inserted into the genome and overexpressed; a lactate dehydrogenase gene ldhA, a pyruvate formate lyase I gene pflB, and genes frdA, frdB, frdC, frdD of four subunits of fumaric acid reductase are deleted from the genome; a leucine dehydrogenase gene bcd of Bacillus subtilis replaces a branched chain amino acid transaminase gene ilvE of Escherichia coli; and an acetohydroxy acid isomeroreductase mutant L67E/R68F/K75E gene ilvCM replaces the native acetohydroxy acid isomeroreductase gene ilvC of Escherichia coli. Furthermore, the L-valine fermentation method is improved by using a two-stage dissolved oxygen control. The L-valine titer and the sugar-acid conversion rate are increased.

The biological production of beta-hydroxyisovalerate (βHIV) using a non-natural microorganism. The non-natural microorganism for the biologically-derived βHIV provides more beta-hydroxyisovalerate synthase activity than the wild-type parent. The non-natural microorganism can host a non-natural enzyme, such as the non-natural enzyme expressed in a yeast or bacteria, wherein the non-natural microorganism comprises an active βHIV metabolic pathway for the production of βHIV. The biological derivation of βHIV eliminates toxic by-products and impurities that result from the chemical production of βHIV, such that βHIV produced by a non-natural microorganism prior to any isolation or purification process has not been in substantial contact with any halogen-containing component.

The present disclosure relates to an acetohydroxy acid synthase variant, a polynucleotide encoding the variant, a microorganism including the variant, and a method of producing L-isoleucine using the microorganism.

Variants of the transglutaminase enzyme of Streptomyces mobaraensis are provided. The disclosed variants exhibit at least about 2-fold increased enzymatic activity versus the wild-type enzyme. Methods and compositions are provided for biocidal applications of use and for covalently binding small organic molecules to a protein or material of interest. Methods are provided for increasing the self-life of products, such as personal care, household and industrial products, by incorporating an effective amount of the disclosed variant enzymes into the product. The transglutaminase variants may also be used to covalently bind functional ingredients, such as UV-blocking molecules, dyes, or pigments to proteins. The transglutaminase enzymes and functional ingredients may be incorporated into a cosmetic formulation for modifying skin, hair, or nail proteins or skin-derived proteins, such as collagen, keratin, and/or elastin.

Methods and materials related to producing isobutyric acid are disclosed. Specifically, isolated nucleic acids, polypeptides, host cells, methods and materials for producing isobutyric by direct microbial fermentation from a carbon source are disclosed.