An alkaline protease mutant, and a gene, engineered strain, a preparation method and application thereof are provided. The method comprises the following steps of extracting genome DNA of Bacillus clausii, performing PCR amplification to obtain a wild-type alkaline protease gene sequence, mutating the wild-type alkaline protease gene obtained by the amplification through an error-prone PCR, performing high-throughput screening to obtain a plurality of highly active alkaline protease genes, performing DNA shuffling on the highly active alkaline protease genes, and performing screening to obtain eight alkaline protease mutant genes with higher activity.

The invention discloses an alcohol dehydrogenase mutant and use thereof. The alcohol dehydrogenase mutant of the present invention has high thermal stability and enables high catalytic efficiency and high conversion rate (i.e. space time yield) in the asymmetric reduction of prochiral diaryl ketones to produce chiral diaryl alcohols. Therefore, the alcohol dehydrogenase mutant of the present invention has extremely high prospect of application in the production of chiral diaryl alcohols, such as (S)-(4-chlorophenyl)-(pyridin-2-yl)-methanol, (R)-(4-chlorophenyl)-(pyridin-2-yl)-methanol.

The present invention provides methods and compositions for increasing lignin degradation to produce a biological product. Also provided are methods for increasing expression of laccase in a bacterial species to produce increased lignin degradation. Also provided are bacterial cells and commodities or commodity produces produced from such methods.

A method of improving a ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (RuBisCo) to have a higher protein score is disclosed. The method includes the steps of: making a modified RbcL of the RuBisCo, by, on an RbcL unit of the RuBisCo, either substituting Met for Leu, Phe, Val, or Ile or combinations thereof; substituting Lys for Arg, Thr, or His or combinations thereof; or both of these substitutions. The modified RbcL consequently modifies the RuBisCo and is added to a biomass host where it is stable for homologous recombination. Plastid and nucleus integration was observed. Example RbcL sequences are disclosed with the desirable substitutions. The improved RuBisCo can be used as an improved proteinaceous food source for humans and animals.

The present invention has a purpose of providing a novel β-galactosidase enzyme useful for the production of oligosaccharides. Disclosed is a β-galactosidase enzyme comprising the amino acid sequence of any one of SEQ ID NOs: 1 to 4 or an amino acid sequence that is 80% or more identical to said amino acid sequence.

A method for the preparation of 2,4-dihydroxybutyric acid from homoserine includes a first step of conversion of the primary amino group of homoserine to a carbonyl group to obtain 2-oxo-4-hydroxybutyrate, and a second step of reduction of the obtained 2-oxo-4-hydroxybutyrate (OHB) to 2,4-dihydroxybutyrate.

A polypeptide includes, in the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1 or a similar sequence, at least one specific amino acid substitution on at least one of the 14th, 37th, 209th, 293rd, and 319th amino acid residues from the N-terminal of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1. A polynucleotide, an expression cassette, a vector, and a transformant include a base sequence encoding the amino acid sequence of the polypeptide. A method of producing the polypeptide and a method of producing 2-deoxy-scyllo-inosose are also provided.

Certain embodiments of the disclosure are directed to the expression/production of β-galactosidases in recombinant Bacillus spp. host cells having reduced or eliminated para-nitrobenzylesterase activity.

The present invention relates to polypeptides having xylanase activity and polynucleotides encoding the polypeptides. The invention also relates to nucleic acid constructs, vectors, and host cells comprising the polynucleotides as well as methods of producing and using the polypeptides. The invention also relates to compositions comprising the polypeptides of the invention and the use of the polypeptides of the invention to release xylose and in animal feed.

The present disclosure relates to transaminase polypeptides capable of aminating a dicarbonyl substrate, and polynucleotides, vectors, host cells, and methods of making and using the transaminase polypeptides.