The present disclosure provides metabolic signatures and genetic markers for tracking enhanced nitrogen utilization efficiency phenotypes in tobacco plants and for introgressing enhanced nitrogen utilization efficiency phenotypes into tobacco plants. The disclosure also provides tobacco plants comprising enhanced nitrogen utilization efficiency and methods to the creation of tobacco plants comprising enhanced nitrogen utilization efficiency. The disclosure also provides recombinant polynucleotides and polypeptides for enhancing nitrogen utilization efficiency in modified tobacco plants and tobacco plants comprising the provided recombinant polynucleotides and polypeptides.

The biological production of beta-hydroxyisovalerate (βHIV) using a non-natural microorganism. The non-natural microorganism for the biologically-derived βHIV provides more beta-hydroxyisovalerate synthase activity than the wild-type parent. The non-natural microorganism can host a non-natural enzyme, such as the non-natural enzyme expressed in a yeast or bacteria, wherein the non-natural microorganism comprises an active βHIV metabolic pathway for the production of βHIV. The biological derivation of βHIV eliminates toxic by-products and impurities that result from the chemical production of βHIV, such that βHIV produced by a non-natural microorganism prior to any isolation or purification process has not been in substantial contact with any halogen-containing component.

The present invention relates to isolated or purified asporogenous Bacillus megaterium (B. megaterium) strains comprising a B. megaterium genome, wherein said genome is modified in that the spo0A gene is deleted or functionally deleted and the strain does not produce spores. The aspororogenous strains of the invention may be further modified by a deletion or functional deletion of one or more genes selected from xylA, xylR, leuC and leuD. The strains of the invention may further comprise an expression vector, wherein the expression vector comprises a sequence of nucleotides that encodes a heterologous polypeptide, operatively liked to a promoter. Also provided by the invention are modified expression vectors and promoters for use in the B. megaterium expression systems of the invention and methods of use thereof.

Genetically modified LeuCD′ enzyme complexes, processes for preparing a C.sub.7-C.sub.11 2-ketoacid utilizing genetically modified LeuCD′ enzyme complexes, and microbial organisms including modified LeuCD enzyme complexes are described. The instantly-disclosed genetically modified LeuCD′ enzyme complexes, processes for preparing a C.sub.7-C.sub.11 2-ketoacid, and microbial organisms including modified LeuCD′ enzyme complexes can be particularly useful for producing C.sub.6-C.sub.10 aldehydes, alkanes, alcohols, and carboxylic acids, both in vivo and in vitro.

Genetically modified isopropylmalate isomerase enzyme complexes (e.g., LeuCD′ enzyme complexes), microbial organisms including genetically modified isopropylmalate isomerase enzyme complexes (e.g., LeuCD′), and processes for preparing C.sub.7-C.sub.11 2-ketoacids with genetically modified isopropylmalate isomerase enzyme complexes (e.g., LeuCD′). The genetically modified isopropylmalate isomerase enzyme complexes (e.g., LeuCD′ enzyme complexes), microbial organisms, and processes for preparing C.sub.7-C.sub.11 2-ketoacids can be used to produce C.sub.6-C.sub.10 aldehydes, alkanes, alcohols, and carboxylic acids, both in vivo and in vitro.

Multi-carbon compounds such as ethanol, n-butanol, sec-butanol, isobutanol, tert-butanol, fatty (or aliphatic long chain) alcohols, fatty acid methyl esters, 2,3-butanediol and the like, are important industrial commodity chemicals with a variety of applications. The present invention provides metabolically engineered host microorganisms which metabolize methane (CH.sub.4) as their sole carbon source to produce multi-carbon compounds for use in fuels (e.g., bio-fuel, bio-diesel) and bio-based chemicals. Furthermore, use of the metabolically engineered host microorganisms of the invention (which utilize methane as the sole carbon source) mitigate current industry practices and methods of producing multi-carbon compounds from petroleum or petroleum-derived feedstocks, and ameliorate much of the ongoing depletion of arable food source “farmland” currently being diverted to grow bio-fuel feedstocks, and as such, improve the environmental footprint of future bio-fuel, bio-diesel and bio-based chemical compositions.

The biological production of beta-hydroxyisovalerate (βHIV) using at least one non-natural enzyme. The non-natural enzyme for the biologically-derived βHIV provides more beta-hydroxyisovalerate synthase activity than the wild-type parent. The non-natural enzyme having one or more modifications of substrate-specificity positions. The non-natural enzyme can be expressed in a microorganism, such as a yeast or bacteria, wherein the microorganism comprises an active βHIV metabolic pathway for the production of βHIV. Alternatively, the non-natural enzyme can be a βHIV synthase used to produce βHIV in a cell-free environment. The biological derivation of βHIV eliminates toxic by-products and impurities that result from the chemical production of βHIV, such that βHIV produced by a non-natural enzyme prior to any isolation or purification process has not been in substantial contact with any halogen-containing component.

The present invention relates to preparation of key drug intermediate, L-2-amino butyric acid (L-2-ABA) by a method of cell free system and biotransformation using genetically engineered strains from easily available economic substrates like citramalate or citraconate and enzymes like LeuCD, LeuB and ValDH or IlvE.

The present invention provides a method for producing 2-methyl-butyric acid by fermentation using a bacterium belonging to the order Enterobacterales which has been modified to attenuate expression of a tyrB gene encoding a protein having tyrosine aminotransferase activity. The method also allows for production of a byproduct substance of 2-methyl-butyric acid during fermentation of the Enterobacterales bacterium having 2-methyl-butyric acid-producing ability.

Genetically modified isopropylmalate isomerase enzyme complexes (e.g., LeuCD′ enzyme complexes), microbial organisms including genetically modified isopropylmalate isomerase enzyme complexes (e.g., LeuCD′), and processes for preparing C7-C11 2-ketoacids with genetically modified isopropylmalate isomerase enzyme complexes (e.g., LeuCD′). The genetically modified isopropylmalate isomerase enzyme complexes (e.g., LeuCD′ enzyme complexes), microbial organisms, and processes for preparing C7-C11 2-ketoacids can be used to produce C6-C10 aldehydes, alkanes, alcohols, and carboxylic acids, both in vivo and in vitro.