This disclosure concerns the metabolic engineering of microorganisms to provide biosynthetic methods for the production of insect pheromones and precursors thereof in a scalable and eco-friendly fermentation reaction; for example, by converting saturated or unsaturated substrate feedstocks utilizing exogenous metabolic machinery.

The technology relates in part to biological methods for producing a fatty dicarboxylic acid and engineered microorganisms capable of such production. Provided are engineered microorganisms capable of producing fatty dicarboxylic acids and products expressed by such microorganisms. Also provided are biological methods for producing fatty dicarboxylic acids.

The present invention relates to a long-chain dibasic acid with low content of long-chain dibasic acid impurity of shorter carbon chain, to the preparation of a long-chain dibasic acid producing strain by directed evolution of POX gene and homologous recombination, and to the production of a long-chain dibasic acid with low content of long-chain dibasic acid impurity of shorter carbon chain by using the strain. The present invention also relates to a strain containing a mutated promoter, wherein, when a long-chain dibasic acid is produced by fermentation of this strain, the content of the acid impurity of shorter carbon chain in the fermentation product is significantly reduced.

A process of producing methacrylic acid and/or derivatives thereof including the following steps: (a) biologically converting isobutyryl-CoA into methacrylyl-CoA by the action of an oxidase; and (b) converting methacrylyl-CoA into methacrylic acid and/or derivatives thereof. The invention also extends to microorganisms adapted to conduct the steps of the process.

A process of producing methacrylic acid and/or derivatives thereof including the following steps: (a) biologically converting isobutyryl-CoA into methacrylyl-CoA by the action of an oxidase; and (b) converting methacrylyl-CoA into methacrylic acid and/or derivatives thereof. The invention also extends to microorganisms adapted to conduct the steps of the process.

A process of producing methacrylic acid and/or derivatives thereof including the following steps: (a) biologically converting isobutyryl-CoA into methacrylyl-CoA by the action of an oxidase; and (b) converting methacrylyl-CoA into methacrylic acid and/or derivatives thereof. The invention also extends to microorganisms adapted to conduct the steps of the process.

The invention provides engineered biosynthetic pathways that can be used to produce cannabinoids from fatty acids, recombinant microorganisms incorporating such pathways, methods of biosynthetically producing cannabinoids from fatty acids, and cannabinoids so produced.

Disclosed herein are microorganism and methods that can be used for the synthesis of cannabigerolic acid (CBGA) and cannabinoids. The methods disclosed can be used to produce CBGA, Δ.sup.9-tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCA), cannabidiolic acid (CBDA), cannabichromenic acid (CBGA), Δ.sup.9-tetrahydrocannabivarinic acid (THCVA), cannabidivarinic acid (CBDVA), cannabichromevarinic acid (CBCVA), Δ.sup.9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), cannabidiol (CBD), cannabichromene (CBC). Enzymes useful for the synthesis of CBGA and cannabinoids, include but are not limited to acyl activating enzyme (AAE1), polyketide synthase (PKS), olivetolic acid cyclase (OAC), prenyltransferase (PT), THCA synthase (THCAS), CBDA synthase (CBDAS), CBC A synthase (CBCAS), HMG-Co reductase (HMG1), and/or famesyl pyrophosphate synthetase (ERG20). The microorganisms can also have one or more genes disrupted, such as gene that that controls beta oxidation of long chain fatty acids.

Strains of yeasts are provided containing the genes for the production of cannabinoids from fatty acids. The enzymes that mediate cannabinoid production are localized to the cytosol, peroxisome or different compartments within the secretory pathway (e.g., endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi, vacuole) to ensure efficient production. The engineered microorganisms produce cannabinoids in a controlled fermentation process.

The technology relates in part to biological methods for modifying carbon flux in cells, engineered cells and organisms in which cellular carbon flux has been modified, and methods of using engineered cells and organisms for production of organic molecules.