The present invention provides compositions and methods for catalyzing the formation of carbon-silicon bonds using heme proteins. In certain aspects, the present invention provides heme proteins, including variants and fragments thereof, that are capable of carrying out in vitro and in vivo carbene insertion reactions for the formation of carbon-silicon bonds. In other aspects, the present invention provides methods for producing an organosilicon product, the method comprising providing a silicon-containing reagent, a carbene precursor, and a heme protein; and combining the components under conditions sufficient to produce an organosilicon product. Host cells expressing the heme proteins are also provided by the present invention.

Described herein is a biochemically produced sandalwood oil including at least 85% santalol and bergamotol and 1% or less cis-lanceol, where the oil has one or more of the following features: i) 5% or less alpha-santalal; ii) 5% or less farnesol; and iii) 0.5% or less spirosantalol. Also described herein are a perfuming composition including the sandalwood oil and a perfuming consumer product including the sandalwood oil. Also described herein are a method of using the biochemically produced sandalwood oil as an anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory agent, and an arthropod control composition including the sandalwood oil.

Provided herein are genetically modified host cells, compositions, and methods for improved production of steviol glycosides. The host cells are genetically modified to contain a heterologous nucleic acid that expresses novel and optimized variants of UGT76G1. The host cell further contains one or more heterologous nucleotide sequence encoding further enzymes of a pathway capable of producing one or more steviol glycosides in the host cell. The host cells, compositions, and methods described herein provide an efficient route for the heterologous production of rebaudioside M.

The present invention relates to a recombinant microbial host cell producing a tetraketide or derivatives thereof from one or more substrates selected from cinnamoyl-CoA, p-Coumaroyl-CoA, Caffeoyl-CoA, Feruloyl-CoA, malonyl-CoA, sinapoyl-CoA and dihydro derivatives thereof, comprising an operative biosynthetic metabolic pathway for the tetraketide or derivatives thereof comprising a chalcone isomerase-like (CHIL) polypeptide heterologous to the host cell and a Type 3 polyketide synthase (PKS).

Provided are cytochrome P450 polypeptides, including cytochrome P450 santalene oxidase polypeptides, cytochrome P450 bergamotene oxidase polypeptides and cytochrome P450 reductase polypeptides. Also provided are nucleic acid molecules encoding the cytochrome P450 polypeptides. Cells containing the nucleic acids and/or the polypeptides are provided as are methods for producing terpenes, such as santalols and bergamotols, by culturing the cells.

The invention relates to methods for producing glycosylated nootkatol. In particular, a recombinant host comprising a gene encoding a UDP-glycosyltransferase polypeptide capable of glycosylating nootkatol is disclosed. Glycosylation of nootkatol detoxifies nootkatol, allowing for greater production of (glycosylated-)nootkatol, a precursor of nootkatone, and therefore greater production of nootkatone. The invention also relates to methods of converting non-toxic, glycosylated nootkatol produced by a recombinant host to nootkatol, wherein the nootkatol can subsequently be converted to large quantities of nootkatone to be used in flavorings, perfumes, and/or insect repellents.

Provided are a recombinant yeast having improved ability to produce ginsenoside, which is prepared by overexpressing INO2 and INO4 or deleting OPT1 in a yeast having ability to produce ginsenoside, a method of preparing the yeast, and a method of producing ginsenoside by using the yeast.

Provided herein are methods for producing products containing strained carbocycles, such as cyclopropene moieties and/or bicyclobutane moieties. The methods include combining an alkyne and a carbene precursor in the presence of a heme protein, e.g., a cytochrome P450, under conditions sufficient to form the strained carbocycle. Reaction mixtures for producing strained carbocycles are also described, as well as whole-cell catalysts comprising heme proteins and variants thereof for forming cyclopropenes, bicyclobutanes, and related products.

This invention relates to modified hydroxylases. The invention further relates to cells expressing such modified hydroxylases and methods of producing hydroxylated alkanes by contacting a suitable substrate with such cells.

The disclosure provides a recombinant cell capable of producing a steviol glycoside, wherein the cell comprises a nucleic acid coding for a variant of a parent polypeptide, wherein the variant has steviol glycoside transport mediating activity, wherein the variant comprises an amino acid sequence which, when aligned with the amino acid sequence of the parent polypeptide, comprises at least one modification of the amino acid residue corresponding to any of the amino acids in the amino acid sequence of the parent polypeptide, wherein the variant has an improved ability to produce rebaudioside M and optionally other steviol glycosides extracellularly if compared with the parent polypeptide when measured under the same conditions.