The use of microorganisms to make alpha-functionalized chemicals and fuels, (e.g. alpha-functionalized carboxylic acids, alcohols, hydrocarbons, amines, and their beta-, and omega-functionalized derivatives), by utilizing an iterative carbon chain elongation pathway that uses functionalized extender units. The core enzymes in the pathway include thiolase, dehydrogenase, dehydratase and reductase. Native or engineered thiolases catalyze the condensation of either unsubstituted or functionalized acyl-CoA primers with an alpha-functionalized acetyl-CoA as the extender unit to generate alpha-functionalized β-keto acyl-CoA. Dehydrogenase converts alpha-functionalized β-keto acyl-CoA to alpha-functionalized β-hydroxy acyl-CoA. Dehydratase converts alpha-functionalized β-hydroxy acyl-CoA to alpha-functionalized enoyl-CoA. Reductase converts alpha-functionalized enoyl-CoA to alpha-functionalized acyl-CoA. The platform can be operated in an iterative manner (i.e. multiple turns) by using the resulting alpha-functionalized acyl-CoA as primer and the aforementioned alpha-functionalized extender unit in subsequent turns of the cycle. Termination pathways acting on any of the four alpha-functionalized CoA thioester intermediates terminate the platform and generate various alpha-functionalized carboxylic acids, alcohols and amines with different β-reduction degree.

The invention provides a non-naturally occurring microbial organism having an adipate, 6-aminocaproic acid or caprolactam pathway. The microbial organism contains at least one exogenous nucleic acid encoding an enzyme in the respective adipate, 6-aminocaproic acid or caprolactam pathway. The invention additionally provides a method for producing adipate, 6-aminocaproic acid or caprolactam. The method can include culturing an adipate, 6-aminocaproic acid or caprolactam producing microbial organism, where the microbial organism expresses at least one exogenous nucleic acid encoding an adipate, 6-aminocaproic acid or caprolactam pathway enzyme in a sufficient amount to produce the respective product, under conditions and for a sufficient period of time to produce adipate, 6-aminocaproic acid or caprolactam.

This invention relates to metabolically engineered microorganism strains, such as bacterial strains, in which there is an increased utilization of malonyl-CoA for production of a fatty acid or fatty acid derived product, wherein the modified microorganism produces fatty acyl-CoA intermediates via a malonyl-CoA dependent but malonyl-ACP independent mechanism.

The invention provides a non-naturally occurring microbial organism having an adipate, 6-aminocaproic acid or caprolactam pathway. The microbial organism contains at least one exogenous nucleic acid encoding an enzyme in the respective adipate, 6-aminocaproic acid or caprolactam pathway. The invention additionally provides a method for producing adipate, 6-aminocaproic acid or caprolactam. The method can include culturing an adipate, 6-aminocaproic acid or caprolactam producing microbial organism, where the microbial organism expresses at least one exogenous nucleic acid encoding an adipate, 6-aminocaproic acid or caprolactam pathway enzyme in a sufficient amount to produce the respective product, under conditions and for a sufficient period of time to produce adipate, 6-aminocaproic acid or caprolactam.

The invention provides non-naturally occurring microbial organisms containing a fatty alcohol, fatty aldehyde or fatty acid pathway, wherein the microbial organisms selectively produce a fatty alcohol, fatty aldehyde or fatty acid of a specified length. Also provided are non-naturally occurring microbial organisms having a fatty alcohol, fatty aldehyde or fatty acid pathway, wherein the microbial organisms further include an acetyl-CoA pathway. 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 or a fatty acid.

Cells and methods for producing polyhydroxyalkanoates. The cells comprise one or more recombinant genes selected from an R-specific enoyl-CoA hydratase gene, a PHA polymerase gene, a thioesterase gene, and an acyl-CoA-synthetase gene. The cells further have one or more genes functionally deleted. The functionally deleted genes include such genes as an enoyl-CoA hydratase gene, a 3-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase, and a 3-ketoacyl-CoA thiolase gene. The recombinant cells are capable of using producing polyhydroxyalkanoates with a high proportion of monomers having the same carbon length from non-lipid substrates, such as carbohydrates.

The invention provides a non-naturally occurring microbial organism having a microbial organism having at least one exogenous gene insertion and/or one or more gene disruptions that confer production of primary alcohols. A method for producing long chain alcohols includes culturing these non-naturally occurring microbial organisms.

This document describes biochemical pathways for producing 7-aminoheptanoic acid using a β-ketoacyl synthase or a β-ketothiolase to form either a 5-amino-3-oxopentanoyl-[ACP] or 5-amino-3-oxopentanoyl-CoA intermediate. 7-aminoheptanoic acid can be enzymatically converted to pimelic acid, 7-hydroxyheptanoic acid, heptamethylenediamine or 1,7-heptanediol or the corresponding salts thereof. This document also describes recombinant microorganisms producing 7-aminoheptanoic acid as well as pimelic acid, 7-hydroxyheptanoic acid, heptamethylenediamine and 1,7-heptanediol or the corresponding salts thereof.

The present invention relates to a field of genetically modified fungal cells and converting galacturonic acid to meso-galactaric acid, more precisely to a method of producing meso-galactaric acid. The invention further relates to recombinant fungal cells having a specific combination of modifications including but not limited to expression of uronate dehydrogenase enzyme, reduced D-galacturonic acid reductase activity, and furthermore reduced meso-galactaric acid catabolism, as well as uses and methods related thereto.

Recombinant microorganisms, plants, and plant cells are disclosed that have been engineered to have reduced levels or activity of one or more alcohol dehydrogenases or aldehyde reductases thereby increasing the production of benzylisoquinoline alkaloids and/or benzylisoquinoline alkaloid precursors.