The present disclosure provides recombinant microorganisms capable of sugar co-utilization, the recombinant microorganism comprising a genetically altered microorganism (e.g. S. cerevisiae) having a lack of, or reduced expression of, or expression of truncated or mutated forms of at least one polypeptide selected from Hxk1, Hxk2, and Glk1. Reduction of the expression or biological activity of Hxk1, Hxk2 and Glk1 leads to reduction in the glucose consumption pathway, allowing the microorganism to co-utilize multiple sugars (e.g. glucose, xylose, galactose) at an improved rate.

Genetically engineered cells and methods are presented that enhance the consumption of xylose in a medium comprising a mix of five- and six-carbon sugars. Method of using these microbes to enhance xylose utilization and methods of making value products using these microbes are also disclosed herein.

Provided herein are recombinant microorganisms having two or more copies of a nucleic acid sequence encoding xylose isomerase, wherein the nucleic acid encoding the xylose isomerase is an exogenous nucleic acid. Optionally, the recombinant microorganisms include at least one nucleic acid sequence encoding a xylulose kinase and/or at least one nucleic acid sequence encoding a xylose transporter. The provided recombinant microorganisms are capable of growing on xylose as a carbon source.

Provided herein are compositions and methods for the fermentative production of 2,3-butanediol (2,3-BDO), compositions and methods for making methyl ethyl ketone (MEK), and methods of inducing drought tolerance in plants.

The present invention relates to a method of preparing a strain of sugar fermenting Saccharomyces cerevisiae with capability to ferment xylose, wherein said method comprises different procedural steps. The method comprises mating a first sporulated Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain with a second Saccharomyces cerevisiae haploid strain. Thereafter, screening for mated cells is performed, growing such mated cells, and verifying that mated cells exhibit basic morphology by microscopic inspection. Thereafter, creation of a mixture of the mated cells is performed, subjecting the mixture to continuous chemostat lignocellulose cultivation and obtaining the sugar fermenting Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells with capability to ferment xylose is performed. The invention also comprises strains obtained by said method.

Provided herein are recombinant microorganisms having two or more copies of a nucleic acid sequence encoding xylose isomerase, wherein the nucleic acid encoding the xylose isomerase is an exogenous nucleic acid. Optionally, the recombinant microorganisms include at least one nucleic acid sequence encoding a xylulose kinase and/or at least one nucleic acid sequence encoding a xylose transporter. The provided recombinant microorganisms are capable of growing on xylose as a carbon source.

The present specification relates to a transformed yeast strain capable of simultaneously utilizing xylose and glucose as carbon sources, a preparation method thereof and a biofuel production method using the same. The transformed yeast strain transforms a wild-type yeast strain incapable of using xylose as a carbon source and simultaneously convert glucose and xylose, thereby enabling high yield production of a biofuel. The economics and sustainability of the biofuel and biomaterial production processes can be highly enhanced by providing a strain which can easily be converted to a strain capable of producing a biofuel/material in a high yield through an additional modification.

Disclosed herein are a yeast strain capable of utilizing xylose as a carbon source and a method for producing lipids using the same. The yeast strain is obtained by adaptively evolving a wild-type yeast strain which cannot utilize xylose as a carbon source so that it can produce high density lipids and then transforming the adaptively evolved strain to obtain the ability to metabolize xylose. Since the strain does not have the xylose metabolic pathway based on oxidoreductase, it can produce biodiesel and biomaterials based on lipid and lignocellulosic biomass at a high yield without a problem of cofactor imbalance and can greatly improve the economic feasibility and sustainability of the production processes of biodiesel and biomaterials.

Genetically engineered cells and methods are presented that enhance the consumption of xylose in a medium comprising a mix of five- and six-carbon sugars. Method of using these microbes to enhance xylose utilization and methods of making value products using these microbes are also disclosed herein.

The present application relates to recombinant microorganisms useful in the biosynthesis of monoethylene glycol (MEG) and isobutene. The application further relates to recombinant microorganisms co-expressing a C2 branch pathway and a C3 branch pathway for the production of MEG and isobutene. Also provided are methods of producing MEG and isobutene using the recombinant microorganisms, as well as compositions comprising the recombinant microorganisms and/or optionally the products MEG and isobutene.