The present invention relates to novel enzyme nanoparticles capable of converting methane into methanol, in which key active sites of methane-oxidizing bacteria are fused with each other and expressed on a protein that can be self-assembled in cells to form nanoparticles, and specifically to enzyme nanoparticles including a protein having methane monooxygenase (MMO) activity and active sites of the methane oxidase, a method for production thereof, a recombinant microorganism into which a nucleic acid encoding the protein and the active site of the methane oxidase is introduced, and immobilized enzyme nanoparticles including the enzyme nanoparticles loaded on a carrier.

Many biotechnologically relevant organisms cannot utilize cheap and abundant one carbon feedstocks, e.g. CO.sub.2, CO, formaldehyde, methanol, and methane, for growth and instead prefer complex feedstocks such as sugars. Disclosed herein is a system that enables organisms to consume one carbon molecules for growth and maintenance via a formyl-CoA elongation pathway. Utilization of one carbon feedstocks can replace the use of sugar as the primary means of cultivating organisms in biotechnological applications. This has the potential to be more cost effective and avoid the controversial use of food as feedstocks. Intermediates of the formyl-CoA elongation pathway may be also be converted to desired chemical products.

This disclosure relates to the engineering of phototrophic microorganisms for conversion of alkanes into higher-value products. Recombinant phototrophic organisms such as cyanobacteria can be engineered, optionally in a modular format, to express enzymes involved in converting methane to methanol, methanol to formaldehyde, formaldehyde to central metabolic pathway intermediates, and such intermediates to n-butanol.

The invention provides a recombinant, acetogenic bacterium that consumes a substrate comprising CH.sub.4 and converts at least a portion of the CH.sub.4 to a product. In particular, the bacterium of may comprise one or more of exogenous methane monooxygenase (MMO), exogenous nitrite reductase (NIR), and exogenous nitric oxide dismutase (NOD). The invention further provides a method for producing a product comprising providing a substrate comprising CH.sub.4 to a culture comprising a recombinant, acetogenic bacterium, whereby the bacterium converts at least a portion of the CH.sub.4 to a product.

The present invention relates to a protein including self-assembled ferritin monomers, in which a methane oxidation active domain, and an electron transfer domain including a flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD)-binding domain are fused, and to: a protein which can oxidize methane by using NADH in vivo as a reducing agent, thus being capable of oxidizing methane to methanol without using a separate reducing agent; a microorganism expressing the same; a composition for producing methanol by using the same; and a method for producing methanol.

The present invention relates to novel enzyme nanoparticles capable of converting methane into methanol, in which key active sites of methane-oxidizing bacteria are fused with each other and expressed on a protein that can be self-assembled in cells to form nanoparticles, and specifically to enzyme nanoparticles including a protein having methane monooxygenase (MMO) activity and active sites of the methane oxidase, a method for production thereof, a recombinant microorganism into which a nucleic acid encoding the protein and the active site of the methane oxidase is introduced, and immobilized enzyme nanoparticles including the enzyme nanoparticles loaded on a carrier.