Methods and compositions for the oxidation of short alkanes by engineered microorganisms expressing recombinant enzymes is described, along with methods of use.

The invention provides a recombinant, acetogenic bacterium that consumes a substrate comprising CH.sub.4 and converts at least a portion of the CH.sub.4 to a product. In particular, the bacterium of may comprise one or more of exogenous methane monooxygenase (MMO), exogenous nitrite reductase (NIR), and exogenous nitric oxide dismutase (NOD). The invention further provides a method for producing a product comprising providing a substrate comprising CH.sub.4 to a culture comprising a recombinant, acetogenic bacterium, whereby the bacterium converts at least a portion of the CH.sub.4 to a product.

The disclosure provides bacterial compositions and methods of use thereof for ameliorating malodor in fabrics. More specifically, the invention provides bacterial compositions comprising bacteria capable of complete nitrification.

Improved soluble methane monooxygenases and soluble methane monooxygenase systems are provided.

Methylotrophic microorganisms, particularly methylotrophic yeasts and more particularly Pichia pastoris, which exhibit the ability to oxidize methane to methanol. Methods of making such microorganisms and DNA constructs for making such microorganisms. Such methylotrophic microorganisms are genetically transformed to exhibit the oxidizing activity of a soluble methane monooxygenase of a methanotrophic bacterium. Such transformed methylotrophic microorganisms contain at least three methane monooxygenase hydroxylase (MMOH) protein subunits of a methanotrophic bacterium: MMOH alpha, MMOH beta and MMOH gamma and a methane monooxygenase reductase (MMOR) of a methanotrophic bacterium.

The invention refers to methods and compositions for stabilizing and increasing the activity of enzymatic mixtures comprising GH61 (PMO or polysaccharide monooxigenase) polypeptides used for the degradation of cellulosic material during the saccharification step of biofuel production processes. This improvement is achieved by the addition of a nickel cation to said enzymatic mixtures before and/or during the saccharification step. Thus, the invention provides compositions comprising PMOs, cellulolytic enzymes and a nickel cation, as well as methods for preparing said compositions and methods for producing fermentable sugars and bioproducts, preferably bioethanol, from cellulosic biomass in which said compositions are used.

The present invention relates to a protein including self-assembled ferritin monomers, in which a methane oxidation active domain, and an electron transfer domain including a flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD)-binding domain are fused, and to: a protein which can oxidize methane by using NADH in vivo as a reducing agent, thus being capable of oxidizing methane to methanol without using a separate reducing agent; a microorganism expressing the same; a composition for producing methanol by using the same; and a method for producing methanol.

Provided herein are soluble engineered polypeptides for oxidizing hydrocarbons, and methods of use, manufacture, and design thereof. In particular, soluble, polypeptides capable of oxidizing methane to methanol (e.g., hydroxylation) are provided.

Embodiments of the invention relate generally to methods to generate microorganisms and/or microorganism cultures that exhibit the ability to produce polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) from carbon sources at high efficiencies. In several embodiments, preferential expression of, or preferential growth of microorganisms utilizing certain metabolic pathways, enables the high efficiency PHA production from carbon-containing gases or materials. Several embodiments relate to the microorganism cultures, and/or microorganisms isolated therefrom.

Provided are a recombinant microorganism including an exogenous gene encoding a soluble methane monooxygenase protein, a composition including the soluble methane monooxygenase, which is used for removing CH.sub.nF.sub.4-n (n is an integer of 0 to 3) in a sample, and a method of reducing a concentration of CH.sub.nF.sub.4-n in the sample.