The present invention relates to a microorganism variant having the ability to extracellularly produce heme, and more particularly to a metabolically engineered microorganism variant having the ability to extracellularly produce heme and a method of producing heme using the same. According to the present invention, heme, an organometallic compound which is increasingly used as a health food or food supplement for the treatment of porphyria, can be extracellularly secreted and produced in high yield using the microorganism variant, but not conventional chemical synthesis or enzymatic synthesis.

A microalgal strain of the species Nannochloropsis gaditana is characterized by a mutation of an enzyme involved in the biosynthesis of chlorophyll that changes the physiology thereof with respect to the wild-type strain of the same species. In particular, with the mutation, microalgae are formed which, with respect to the wild-type strain of the same species, have a lower chlorophyll content and a reduced capacity to absorb visible radiation (light).

Further, a process for the production of lipids through the cultivation of the mutated Nannochloropsis gaditana strain and the lipids obtained can be used as synthesis intermediates, particularly in the so-called “green-chemistry” sector or in the production of biofuels.

The present invention relates to a microorganism variant having the ability to extracellularly produce heme, and more particularly to a metabolically engineered microorganism variant having the ability to extracellularly produce heme and a method of producing heme using the same. According to the present invention, heme, an organometallic compound which is increasingly used as a health food or food supplement for the treatment of porphyria, can be extracellularly secreted and produced in high yield using the microorganism variant, but not conventional chemical synthesis or enzymatic synthesis.

A microalgal strain of the species Nannochloropsis gaditana is characterized by a mutation of an enzyme involved in the biosynthesis of chlorophyll that changes the physiology thereof with respect to the wild-type strain of the same species. In particular, with the mutation, microalgae are formed which, with respect to the wild-type strain of the same species, have a lower chlorophyll content and a reduced capacity to absorb visible radiation (light). Further, a process for the production of lipids through the cultivation of the mutated Nannochloropsis gaditana strain and the lipids obtained can be used as synthesis intermediates, particularly in the so-called green-chemistry sector or in the production of biofuels.

Provided is a chimeric transcriptional activator for a methanol-inducible promoter, which at least comprises a first portion and a second portion, wherein: 1) the first portion comprises: i) a DNA binding domain; or ii) a DNA binding domain and a first transcription activation domain; and 2) the second portion comprises at least one second transcription activation domain. Further provided is a use of the chimeric transcriptional activator in enhancing foreign protein expression levels in a host cell.