The invention provides a method for producing a terpene or a precursor thereof by microbial fermentation. Typically, the method involves culturing a recombinant bacterium in the presence of a gaseous substrate whereby the bacterium produces a terpene or a precursor thereof, such as mevalonic acid, isopentenyl pyrophosphate, dimethylallyl pyrophosphate, isoprene, geranyl pyrophosphate, farnesyl pyrophosphate, and/or farnesene. The bacterium may comprise one or more exogenous enzymes, such as enzymes in mevalonate, DXS, or terpene biosynthesis pathways.

A composition comprising an active agent that inhibits acyl-coenzyme A:cholesterol acyltransferase (ACAT) is provided. With the composition, food intake can be suppressed, and/or body weight can be reduced, and/or metabolic disorders can be prevented and/or treated.

The disclosure provides recombinant bacterial host cells that metabolize and convert glycerol or volatile fatty acids (VFAs) to poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) or PHBV. The disclosure further provides methods of producing PHBV using the recombinant bacteria disclosed herein.

The disclosure provides recombinant bacterial host cells that metabolize and convert glycerol or volatile fatty acids (VFAs) to poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) or PHBV. The disclosure further provides methods of producing PHBV using the recombinant bacteria disclosed herein.

The invention provides a method for producing a terpene or a precursor thereof by microbial fermentation. Typically, the method involves culturing a recombinant bacterium in the presence of a gaseous substrate whereby the bacterium produces a terpene or a precursor thereof, such as mevalonic acid, isopentenyl pyrophosphate, dimethylallyl pyrophosphate, isoprene, geranyl pyrophosphate, farnesyl pyrophosphate, and/or farnesene. The bacterium may comprise one or more exogenous enzymes, such as enzymes in mevalonate, DXS, or terpene biosynthesis pathways.

A method is provided for biosynthetic production of cannabinoids in microorganisms from a carbon source precursor. This method describes the genetic modifications needed to engineer microorganisms to produce cannabinoids as well as a method for identifying and quantifying cannabinoids from fermentation broth. A system is also provided for tuning the method to produce different cannabinoids of interest by systematically modulating the enzymes encoded by the genetic modifications introduced in the microorganism.

Methods of using microorganisms to make chemicals and fuels, including carboxylic acids, alcohols, hydrocarbons, and their alpha-, beta-, and omega-functionalized derivatives are described. Native or engineered thiolases are used condense a growing acyl-ACP and acetyl-ACP in combination with type II fatty acid synthesis. The resulting fatty acid biosynthesis cycle has an ATP yield analogous to the functional reverse β-oxidation cycle.

The present disclosure provides methods for utilizing genetically modified microbes to co-produce 3-hydroxypropionic acid (3-HP) and acetyl-CoA, and derivatives thereof from malonate semialdehyde as a common single intermediate. The disclosure further provides modified microbe that co-produce the 3-HP and acetyl-CoA derivatives from malonate semialdehyde.

The invention provides microorganisms and methods for the production of polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) from gaseous substrates. In particular, the invention provides a non-naturally occurring Wood-Ljungdahl microorganism comprising (a) an enzyme that converts acetyl-CoA to acetoacetyl-CoA, (b) an enzyme that converts acetoacetyl-CoA to 3-hydroxybutyryl-CoA, and (c) an enzyme that converts 3-hydroxybutyryl-CoA to polyhydroxybutyrate, and methods related thereto.

Microorganisms are genetically engineered to produce various chemicals for industrial use. The microorganisms are carboxydotrophic acetogens. The microorganisms produce acetyl-CoA using the Wood-Ljungdahl Pathway for fixing CO/CO.sub.2. A reverse beta-oxidation pathway cycle from a microorganism that contains such a group of enzymes is introduced. Additionally, primers and extenders, and/or genes encoding for enzymes that generate primers and extenders may also be introduced. Product synthesis can be effected by improved promoters or enzyme designs that are catalytically more efficient. Similarly, product synthesis may also be improved by deleting competing reactions.