An engineered yeast strain capable of efficient fermentation of xylose to ethanol, and methods of making and using the strain, are provided

The disclosure provides variants of nicotine oxidoreductase and methods to select such variants that are unexpectedly active in the catabolic destruction of nicotine by oxidation using oxygen as electron acceptor, and catabolically active fragments thereof. Also disclosed are compositions comprising the CycN cytochrome c protein and at least one of the variant nicotine oxidoreductase holoenzymes, the fragments thereof, or a naturally occurring nicotine oxidoreductase, as well as fusion proteins comprising catalytically active nicotine oxidoreductase fragments or holoenzymes and CycN cytochrome c fragments or holoenzymes. Additionally, variants of L-6-hydroxynicotine oxidase, or catalytically active fragments thereof, are provided. Further disclosed are polynucleotides encoding such proteins, vectors comprising such polynucleotides, and host cells comprising such polynucleotides or vectors. Also provided are methods of using any of the disclosed compositions or formulations to treat nicotine dependence or reduce the risk of relapse to nicotine dependence.

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 disclosure relates to a variant polypeptide having attenuated dihydrodipicolinate reductase activity and a method of producing L-threonine using the same.

The present disclosure relates to a modified polypeptide, in which the activity of meso-diaminopimelate is weakened, and a method for producing L-threonine using the same.

A method of producing a modified Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast strain with enhanced resistance (or tolerance) to pretreatment-derived microbial inhibitors such as furans, phenolics and weak acids is provided, which comprises integrating at least one copy of the TAL1 gene and at least one copy of two or more of the FDH1, AR11 and ADH6 genes into the S. cerevisiae genome. A modified yeast strain so obtained is also provided, the modified yeast strain being capable of simultaneously overexpressing these genes relative to a yeast strain which hasn't been modified in the same manner. S. cerevisiae strains which have been modified as described herein can be used to ferment lignocellulosic hydrolysates containing pretreatment inhibitors such as furans, phenolics and weak acids. Suitable lignocellulosic hydrolysates include sugarcane bagasse (SCB) and waste streams from the pulp and paper industry, such as spent sulphite liquor (SSL).

In various aspects and embodiments, the invention relates to bacterial strains and methods for making terpene and terpenoid products. The invention provides bacterial strains with improved carbon flux through the MEP pathway, to thereby increase terpene and/or terpenoid product yield by fermentation with carbon sources such as glucose.

This disclosure describes modified photosynthetic microorganisms, including Cyanobacteria that produce carotenoids, including zeaxanthin, astaxanthin, and/or canthaxanthin. The modifications include one or more genetic modifications such as gene deletion, up regulation of an endogenous gene, and/or addition of an exogenous gene. In some embodiments the modified photosynthetic microorganisms may be subjected to stress conditions.

The invention relates to methods and bacterial strains for making terpene and terpenoid products, the bacterial strains having improved carbon pull through the MEP pathway and to a downstream recombinant synthesis pathway.

The present invention relates to a process for the production of polyunsaturated fatty acids in an organism by introducing, into the organism, nucleic acids which encode polypeptides with Δ5-elongase activity. Advantageously, these nucleic acids can be expressed in the organism together with further nucleic acids which encode polypeptides of the biosynthesis of the fatty acid or lipid metabolism. Especially advantageous are nucleic acids which encode Δ6-desaturases, Δ5-desaturases, Δ4-desaturases and/or Δ6-elongases. These desaturases and elongases are advantageously derived from Thalassiosira, Euglena or Ostreococcus. The invention furthermore relates to a process for the production of oils and/or triacylglycerides with an elevated content of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, and oils and/or triacylglycerides thus obtained. The invention also relates to the nucleic acids, and constructs, vectors and transgenic organisms comprising the same, as well as oils, lipids and/or fatty acids produced by the process according to the invention and to their use.