The present invention relates to a method for producing a recombinant polypeptide of interest in a microbial host cell, comprising (a) introducing a polynucleotide encoding the polypeptide of interest into a microbial host cell which has been modified such that an enzymatic activity selected from the group consisting of ketol-acid reductoisomerase (NADP(+)) activity (EC 1.1.1.86), acetohydroxyacid synthase activity (EC 2.2.1.6), aspartate kinase activity (EC 2.7.2.4), homoserine dehydrogenase activity (EC 1.1.1.3), and L-threonine dehydratase activity (EC 4.3.1.19) is modulated in said microbial host cell as compared to the enzymatic activity in an unmodified microbial host cell, and (b) expressing said polypeptide of interest in said microbial host cell. Moreover, the present invention relates to a method for reducing misincorporation of at least one non-canonical branched-chain amino acid into a recombinant polypeptide of interest expressed in a microbial host cell.

Multi-carbon compounds such as ethanol, n-butanol, sec-butanol, isobutanol, tert-butanol, fatty (or aliphatic long chain) alcohols, fatty acid methyl esters, 2,3-butanediol and the like, are important industrial commodity chemicals with a variety of applications. The present invention provides metabolically engineered host microorganisms which metabolize methane (CH.sub.4) as their sole carbon source to produce multi-carbon compounds for use in fuels (e.g., bio-fuel, bio-diesel) and bio-based chemicals. Furthermore, use of the metabolically engineered host microorganisms of the invention (which utilize methane as the sole carbon source) mitigate current industry practices and methods of producing multi-carbon compounds from petroleum or petroleum-derived feedstocks, and ameliorate much of the ongoing depletion of arable food source “farmland” currently being diverted to grow bio-fuel feedstocks, and as such, improve the environmental footprint of future bio-fuel, bio-diesel and bio-based chemical compositions.

Genetically modified microorganisms that have the ability to convert carbon substrates into chemical products such as isobutanol are disclosed. For example, genetically modified methanotrophs that are capable of generating isobutanol at high titers from a methane source are disclosed. Methods of making these genetically modified microorganisms and methods of using them are also disclosed.

Multi-carbon compounds such as ethanol, n-butanol, sec-butanol, isobutanol, tert-butanol, fatty (or aliphatic long chain) alcohols, fatty acid methyl esters, 2,3-butanediol and the like, are important industrial commodity chemicals with a variety of applications. The present invention provides metabolically engineered host microorganisms which metabolize methane (CH.sub.4) as their sole carbon source to produce multi-carbon compounds for use in fuels (e.g., bio-fuel, bio-diesel) and bio-based chemicals. Furthermore, use of the metabolically engineered host microorganisms of the invention (which utilize methane as the sole carbon source) mitigate current industry practices and methods of producing multi-carbon compounds from petroleum or petroleum-derived feedstocks, and ameliorate much of the ongoing depletion of arable food source farmland currently being diverted to grow bio-fuel feedstocks, and as such, improve the environmental footprint of future bio-fuel, bio-diesel and bio-based chemical compositions.

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.

The present invention relates to methods of upgrading biomass to provide useful chemical intermediates, fuels, amino acids, nutrients, etc. In particular examples, the biomass is a by-product of ethanol production and is mainly used as high-protein feed. Described herein are methods for upgrading such biomass, such as by implementing pre-treatment conditions and by employing fermentation conditions including modified organisms.

Provided are a microorganism for producing a pantoic acid, and a construction method therefor and an application thereof. The microorganism for producing the pantoic acid is obtained by knocking out a gene in Escherichia coli and introducing an exogenous gene. The obtained microorganism is Escherichia coli that is registered in the China General Microbiological Culture Collection Center with an accession number of CGMCC No. 21699. A pantoic acid synthesis pathway has been opened up, and accumulation of the pantoic acid can be achieved in a fermentation process.

The present invention relates to methods of upgrading biomass to provide useful chemical intermediates, fuels, amino acids, nutrients, etc. In particular examples, the biomass is a by-product of ethanol production and is mainly used as high-protein feed. Described herein are methods for upgrading such biomass, such as by implementing pre-treatment conditions and by employing fermentation conditions including modified organisms.

The present invention relates to a process for producing a beer bittering agent via enzyme catalyzed bioconversion of hop-derived isoalpha acids to dihydro-(rho)-isoalpha acids and to the novel enzyme catalysts which may be employed in such a process.

Polypeptide scaffolds comprising enzymatic proteins are provided. The enzymatic polypeptide scaffolds comprise heterologous enzymes to form a heterologous metabolic pathway, and can be targeted to a substrate through a surface anchoring domain. The enzymatic polypeptide scaffolds leverage the high specificity and affinity protein/protein interaction between the cohesins and dockerins of microorganismal cellulosomes to form custom enzymatic arrays.