Described herein are prenyltransferases including non-natural variants thereof having at least one amino acid substitution as compared to its corresponding natural or unmodified prenyltransferases and that are capable of at least two-fold greater rate of formation of cannabinoids such as cannabigerolic acid, cannabigerovarinic acid, cannabigerorcinic acid, and cannabigerol, as compared to a wild type control. Prenyltransferase variants also demonstrated regioselectivity to desired cannabinoid isomers such as CDBA (3-GOLA), 3-GDVA, 3-GOSA, and CBG (2-GOL). The prenyltransferase variants can be used to form prenylated aromatic compounds, and can be expressed in an engineered microbe having a pathway to such compounds, which include 3-GOLA, 3-GDVA, 3-GOSA, and CBG. 3-GOLA can be used for the preparation of cannabigerol (CBG), which can be used in therapeutic compositions.

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.

In an aspect, the disclosure provides methods for making neurotransmitters in a host organism. The neurotransmitters can be cannabinoids and derivatives of cannabinoids. The host cells can be microalgae, fungi or other host cells. In a related aspect, the disclosure provides host cells engineered to have biochemical pathways for making neurotransmitters such as cannabinoids.

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.

In an aspect, the disclosure provides methods for making neurotransmitters in a host organism. The neurotransmitters can be cannabinoids and derivatives of cannabinoids. The host cells can be microalgae, fungi or other host cells. In a related aspect, the disclosure provides host cells engineered to have biochemical pathways for making neurotransmitters such as cannabinoids.

The present disclosure provides genetically modified host cells that produce a cannabinoid, a cannabinoid derivative, a cannabinoid precursor, or a cannabinoid precursor derivative. The present disclosure provides methods of synthesizing a cannabinoid, a cannabinoid derivative, a cannabinoid precursor, or a cannabinoid precursor derivative.

In some aspects of the design, novel forms of geranylpyrophosphate:olivetolate geranyltransferase; of olivetol synthase or of geranyl pyrophosphate synthase; of geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate synthase; of olivetolic acid cyclase; and/or of olivetolic acid synthase for making large scale amounts of cannabinoids in cells, in vitro are presented.

The present disclosure provides genetically modified host cells that produce a cannabinoid, a cannabinoid derivative, a cannabinoid precursor, or a cannabinoid precursor derivative. The present disclosure provides methods of synthesizing a cannabinoid, a cannabinoid derivative, a cannabinoid precursor, or a cannabinoid precursor derivative.

The present invention provides methods for producing cannabinoids and cannabinoid analogs as well as a system for producing these compounds. The inventive method is directed to contacting a compound according to Formula I or Formula II with a cannabinoid synthase.

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Also described is a system for producing cannabinoids and cannabinoid analogs by contacting a THCA synthase with a cannabinoid precursor and modifying at least one property of the reaction mixture to influence the quantity formed of a first cannabinoid relative to the quantity formed of a second cannabinoid.

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.