Disclosed are a recombinant microorganism for producing a hydrophobic material, which is subjected to cell-membrane engineering in order to be imparted with at least one characteristic among an increase in a cell-membrane area, an increase in formation and secretion of an outer membrane vesicle, and an increase in formation of an inner membrane vesicle, and a cell-membrane engineering method for preparation thereof, whereby an insoluble hydrophobic material can be produced with high efficiency, the recombinant microorganism for high-efficiency production of carotenoids or violacein analogues is useful for producing natural pigments, antioxidants, antibiotics, cosmetic additives, anticancer agents, food additives, or nutritional supplements, and the natural pigment production technology developed herein achieves a great increase in production ability. Therefore, the present invention is effective at preparing a recombinant strain for efficient production of a variety of industrially and medically useful metabolites and at establishing an efficient preparation method.

Methods and compositions herein provide non-naturally occurring γ-butyrolactones (GBLs) in racemic mixtures that increase efficiency and effectiveness of screening for production of antibiotics, and enhance yields and express silent pathways. Non-naturally occurring GBLs were synthesized and found to stimulate antibiotic production in several different streptomycete strains. Antibiotic production by Streptomyces coelicolor was induced by a racemic mixture of non-cognate stereoisomers of VB-D, seven of which are non-naturally occurring. Further, novel A-factor-type GBL analogs stimulated antibiotic production in S. coelicolor. Synthesis in response to the treatment with the non-cognates GBL was observed for known compounds including undecylprodigiosin, desferrioxamine and streptorubin B, as was synthesis of a compound of unknown structure. A group of 37 additional microbial strains was screened by principal component analysis to determine optimal concentrations of each of a panel of four non-cognate synthetic GBLs for addition to cultures with optimal stimulation of secondary metabolites, and large scale fermentations were analyzed and product enhancement by the GBLs was observed.

The present invention provides for a genetically modified bacterial host cell capable of producing indigoidine, wherein the host cell comprises a non-ribosomal peptide synthetase (NRPS) that converts glutamine to indigoidine, and the bacterial host cell is reduced in its expression of one or more of the sixteen indicated enzymes.

A method for the use of a cytochrome P450 enzyme comprising any of SEQ ID NO: 1-118, or mutants thereof or a variant enzyme having at least 70% identity thereto and having CYP450 activity, for the hydroxylation and or dealkylation of an organic compound.

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The present invention is related to an improved process for production of vitamin B2 using a genetically engineered host cell comprising a heterologous enzyme with pyridoxal phosphatase activity. Using said modified host cell, the yield of riboflavin production could be increased by at least about 5%.

Object of the present invention is an efficient process for the preparation of the active pharmaceutical ingredient Sitagliptine and the 2,4,5-trifluorophenylacetic acid (TFAA) and salt thereof, which is a key intermediate for the synthesis of Sitagliptine. ##STR00001##

A monooxygenase having an amino acid sequence obtained by mutation of the amino acid sequence shown in SEQ ID NO:2 is disclosed. The use of the monooxygenase of the present invention in production of chiral sulfoxide-based drugs has advantages including mild reaction conditions, environmental friendliness, high yield, high optical purity of products, less peroxide products, and the like, and therefore the monooxygenase in the present invention has a good industrial application prospect in the production of proton pump inhibitors for the treatment of gastric ulcers.

This invention relates to a method for dyeing fabrics, yarns and fibers using microorganisms whereby the adsorption of dye-containing microorganisms onto textile fibers is improved using carbon sources above a threshold concentration. Dye molecules contained within the microorganism are released from the microorganism and fixed directly and locally to the textile fibers using a heat treatment step. Said heat treatment also deactivates the carrier microorganisms. Single or multiple microorganism species, and single or multiple dyes produced by said single or multiple microorganism species may create a variety of textile colors. Suitable synthetic dyes may also be added before, during or after microorganisms have produced dyes but before the dye-releasing heat treatment step.

The invention pertains to a method for synthesizing a product of interest by culturing a microalgal cell obtained from a subterranean habitat for producing the product of interest. The microalgal cell obtained from a subterranean habitat can be cultured in the dark, in light, in low nutrition, or nutrient rich conditions for at least a portion of production cycle. A combination of these conditions can be used to specifically manipulate a microalgal cell culture to produce a product of interest. The product of interest can be a water-soluble carotenoid, for example, a water-soluble carotenoid produced by culturing an algae belonging to the genus Haematococcus or a capsular exopolysaccharide produced by culturing an algae belonging to the genus Parachlorella. Compositions containing the water-soluble carotenoid, for example, as sunscreen and compositions containing the exopolysaccharide, for example, as moisturizing cream are also described.

The present disclosure provides engineered polypeptides having imine reductase activity, polynucleotides encoding the engineered imine reductases, host cells capable of expressing the engineered imine reductases, and methods of using these engineered polypeptides with a range of ketone and amine substrate compounds to prepare secondary and tertiary amine product compounds.