Described herein are prenyltransferases including non-natural variants thereof having at least one amino acid substitution as compared to its corresponding natural or unmodified prenyltransferases and that are capable of at least two-fold greater rate of formation of cannabinoids such as cannabigerolic acid, cannabigerovarinic acid, cannabigerorcinic acid, and cannabigerol, as compared to a wild type control. Prenyltransferase variants also demonstrated regioselectivity to desired cannabinoid isomers such as CDBA (3-GOLA), 3-GDVA, 3-GOSA, and CBG (2-GOL). The prenyltransferase variants can be used to form prenylated aromatic compounds, and can be expressed in an engineered microbe having a pathway to such compounds, which include 3-GOLA, 3-GDVA, 3-GOSA, and CBG. 3-GOLA can be used for the preparation of cannabigerol (CBG), which can be used in therapeutic compositions.

Provided is an enzyme useful for prenylation and recombinant pathways for the production of cannabinoids, cannabinoid precursors and other prenylated chemicals in a cell free system as well and recombinant microorganisms that catalyze the reactions.

The present disclosure provides recombinant host cells comprising a pathway capable of producing a cannabinoid and a nucleic acid derived from a Cannabis trichome mRNA that that does not encode an enzyme in the pathway but enhances the host cells' ability to produce the cannabinoid. The disclosure also provides methods of using host cells to produce cannabinoids.

A novel PSL family prenyltransferase has relaxed substrate specificity, which can use a variety of cyclic dipeptides and prenyl donors as substrates to produce various terpenylated diketopiperazines. An amino acid sequence of the prenyltransferase is SEQ ID NO: 1. An application of the prenyltransferase is transferring different prenyl groups to Trp-containing cyclic dipeptides. The prenyltransferase catalyzes the formation of terpenylated diketopiperazines by assembling prenyl groups onto cyclic dipeptides, which provides a new strategy for drug development of diketopiperazines.

A method for producing an objective substance such as vanillin and vanillic acid is provided. An objective substance is produced from a carbon source or a precursor of the objective substance by using a microorganism that is able to produce the objective substance, which microorganism has been modified so that the activity of an enzyme involved in SAM cycle (SAM cycle enzyme) is increased.

The present disclosure provides methods and compositions for producing rotundone. In various aspects, the present disclosure provides enzymes, polynucleotides encoding said enzymes, and recombinant microbial host cells (or microbial host strains) for the production of rotundone. In some embodiments, the present disclosure provides microbial host cells for producing rotundone at high purity and/or yield, from either enzymatic transformation of α-guaiene, or from sugar or other carbon source. The present disclosure further provides methods of making products containing rotundone, including flavor or fragrance products, among others.

A method of producing a modified Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast strain with enhanced resistance (or tolerance) to pretreatment-derived microbial inhibitors such as furans, phenolics and weak acids is provided, which comprises integrating at least one copy of the TAL1 gene and at least one copy of two or more of the FDH1, AR11 and ADH6 genes into the S. cerevisiae genome. A modified yeast strain so obtained is also provided, the modified yeast strain being capable of simultaneously overexpressing these genes relative to a yeast strain which hasn't been modified in the same manner. S. cerevisiae strains which have been modified as described herein can be used to ferment lignocellulosic hydrolysates containing pretreatment inhibitors such as furans, phenolics and weak acids. Suitable lignocellulosic hydrolysates include sugarcane bagasse (SCB) and waste streams from the pulp and paper industry, such as spent sulphite liquor (SSL).

The present invention relates to gene therapy for treatment or prevention of choroideremia.

Disclosed herein are genetically modified microorganisms and related methods for the enhanced production and export of oligosaccharides. The microorganisms described herein express major facility superfamily proteins such as CDT-1, which allows for the export of oligosaccharides. Variants of CDT-1 exhibit higher activity regarding oligosaccharide export. The microorganisms described herein express formation enzymes for the production of oligosaccharides. Means to export oligosaccharides into the growth medium are provided herein.

This invention provides recombinant cells and methods for producing terpenes and terpenoids by increasing production or accumulation or both of isoprenoid precursors thereof.