Abstract: The present disclosure discloses a transformed Synechococcus elongatus strain capable of producing biodiesel directly from carbon dioxide and a method for producing biodiesel and a method for removing carbon dioxide using the same. In an aspect, the transformed Synechococcus elongatus strain of the present disclosure can produce biodiesel in large scale using carbon dioxide as a carbon source. The Synechococcus elongatus strain is environment-friendly because it can be used to remove or reduce carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The strain of the present disclosure is advantageous in that it can produce biodiesel in large scale because it grows faster and exhibits excellent carbon dioxide fixation capability as compared to other photosynthetic microorganisms.

Abstract: The invention provides computational methods for engineering, selecting, and/or identifying proteins with a desired activity. Further provided are automated computational design and screening methods to engineer proteins with desired functional activities including, but not limited to ligand binding, catalytic activity, substrate specificity, regioselectivity and/or stereoselectivity.

Abstract: The present invention provides lipolytic enzyme variants. Specifically, the present invention provides lipolytic enzyme variants having one or more modifications as compared to a parent lipolytic enzyme having at least one improved property. In addition, the present invention provides compositions comprising a lipolytic enzyme variant of the invention. The present invention also provides methods of cleaning using compositions comprising a lipolytic enzyme variant of the invention.

Abstract: The present invention relates to the biological production of methane (Biogas) by co-culture in an aerobic atmosphere of a methanogenic bacterium and of an anaerobic bacterium capable of producing hydrogen, in a culture medium comprising or being supplemented with carbohydrate compound(s), notably starch and/or sugars, and supplemented with antioxidant compound(s).

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to an engineered microbe capable of improved productivity of fatty acid or fatty acid derivative. An NAD+-dependent 3-oxoacyl-ACP reductase or NAD+-dependent 3-oxoacyl-CoA reductase replaces or supplements the native NADP+-dependent 3-oxoacyl-ACP reductase so as to utilize the higher availability of NAD+ rather than NADP+ in the cell. Higher production, yield and titer of fatty acids are therefore obtained. Such microbes can be combined with other mutations to further improve yield of fatty acids or fatty acid derivatives.

Abstract: The present invention is related to recombinant host cells comprising: (i) at least one deletion, mutation, and/or substitution in an endogenous gene encoding a polypeptide that converts pyruvate to acetaldehyde, acetyl-phosphate or acetyl-CoA; and (ii) a heterologous polynucleotide encoding a polypeptide having phosphoketolase activity. The present invention is also related to recombinant host cells further comprising (iii) a heterologous polynucleotide encoding a polypeptide having phosphotransacetylase activity.

Abstract: The invention provides non-naturally occurring microbial organisms having a butadiene or crotyl alcohol pathway. The invention additionally provides methods of using such organisms to produce butadiene or crotyl alcohol.

Abstract: The present invention pertains to: mutant genes having a mutation such as a base substitution in the MTH1, GRR1 and/or CDC19 coding regions thereof; mutant proteins coded by said mutant genes; an upstream region of the GRR1 coding region having a mutation such as a base substitution; a yeast such as Saccharomyces having said upstream region; and a method for producing a substance such as ethanol by using said yeast.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides engineered ketoreductase enzymes having improved properties as compared to a naturally occurring wild-type ketoreductase enzyme. Also provided are polynucleotides encoding the engineered ketoreductase enzymes, host cells capable of expressing the engineered ketoreductase enzymes, and methods of using the engineered ketoreductase enzymes to synthesize a variety of chiral compounds. The engineered ketoreductase polypeptides are optimized for catalyzing the conversion of N-methyl-3-keto-3-(2-thienyl)-1-propanamine to (S)-N-methyl-3-hydroxy-3-(2-thienyl)-1-propanamine.

Abstract: The present invention relates to processes for producing ethanol from lignocellulosic hydrolysates comprising hexoses, pentoses and acetic acid, whereby genetically modified yeast cells are use that comprise an exogenous gene encoding an acetaldehyde dehydrogenase and a bacterial gene encoding an enzyme with NAD+-linked glycerol dehydrogenase activity. The process is further characterized in that glycerol is present in or fed into the culture medium, whereby the modified yeast cell ferments the hexoses, pentoses, acetic acid and glycerol to ethanol. The invention further relates to yeast cells for use in such processes. The yeast cells advantageously comprise genetic modifications that improve glycerol utilization such as modifications that increase one or more of dihydroxyacetone kinase activity and transport of glycerol into the cell.

Abstract: A method of producing a sugar liquid from biomass includes decomposing a fermentation inhibitor contained in a sugar aqueous solution obtained from biomass with a microorganism incapable of utilizing glucose and/or xylose or a crude enzyme derived from the microorganism, wherein the fermentation inhibitor includes one or more compounds selected from the group consisting of courmaric acid, coumaramide, ferulic acid, ferulamide, vanillin, vanillic acid, acetovanillone, furfural, and 3-hydroxymethylfurfural.

Abstract: Provided is a mutant of propionyl-CoA transferase from Clostridium propionicum that can convert lactate into lactyl-CoA with high efficiency in a method of preparing a polylactate (PLA) or PLA copolymer using microorganisms. Unlike conventional propionyl-CoA transferase which is weakly expressed in E. coli, when a mutant of propiony-CoA transferase from Clostridium propionicum is introduced into recombinant E. coli, lactyl-CoA can be supplied very smoothly, thereby enabling highly efficient preparation of polylactate (PLA) and PLA copolymer.

Abstract: The present invention provides for novel metabolic pathways leading to propanol, alcohol or polyol formation in a consolidated bioprocessing system (CBP), where lignocellulosic biomass is efficiently converted to such products. More specifically, the invention provides for a recombinant microorganism, where the microorganism expresses one or more native and/or heterologous enzymes; where the one or more enzymes function in one or more engineered metabolic pathways to achieve: (1) conversion of a carbohydrate source to 1,2-propanediol, isopropropanol, ethanol and/or glycerol; (2) conversion of a carbohydrate source to n-propanol and isopropanol; (3) conversion of a carbohydrate source to isopropanol and methanol; or (4) conversion of a carbohydrate source to propanediol and acetone; wherein the one or more native and/or heterologous enzymes is activated, upregulated or downregulated.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are microorganisms containing exogenous or heterologous nucleic acid sequences, wherein the microorganisms are capable of growing on gaseous carbon dioxide, gaseous hydrogen, syngas, or combinations thereof. In some embodiments the microorganisms are chemotrophic bacteria that produce or secrete at least 10% of lipid by weight. Also disclosed are methods of fixing gaseous carbon into organic carbon molecules useful for industrial processes. Also disclosed are methods of manufacturing chemicals or producing precursors to chemicals useful in jet fuel, diesel fuel, and biodiesel fuel. Exemplary chemicals or precursors to chemicals useful in fuel production are alkanes, alkenes, alkynes, fatty acid alcohols, fatty acid aldehydes, desaturated hydrocarbons, unsaturated fatty acids, hydroxyl acids, or diacids with carbon chains between six and thirty carbon atoms long.

Abstract: The present invention provides members that produce on a large scale a coenzyme-linked glucose dehydrogenase which has excellent substrate-recognizing ability toward glucose while providing low action on maltose. The present invention relates to a polynucleotide encoding a soluble coenzyme-linked glucose dehydrogenase that catalyzes the oxidation of glucose in the presence of an electron acceptor and has an activity toward maltose of 5% or lower; a polypeptide encoded by the nucleotide sequence of the polynucleotide; a recombinant vector carrying the polynucleotide; a transformed cell produced using the recombinant vector; a method for producing a polypeptide comprising culturing the transformed cell and collecting from the cultivated products a polypeptide that links to FAD to exert the glucose dehydration activity; a method for determination of glucose using the polypeptide; a reagent composition for determination of glucose; and a biosensor.

Abstract: Described herein are compounds and methods for tethering proteins. For example, dimers of proteins, including SOD1 and DJ-1, are described, where the dimers are formed by the covalent bonding of a cysteine on the first monomer to a cysteine on the second monomer via a cyclic disulfide linker. The covalently attached dimers exhibit increased stabilization.

Abstract: The present invention relates to methods of increasing the activity of a polypeptide having cellulolytic enhancing activity, comprising: adding a soluble activating divalent metal cation to a composition comprising the polypeptide having cellulolytic enhancing activity, wherein the presence of the soluble activating divalent metal cation and the polypeptide having cellulolytic enhancing activity increases degradation or conversion of a cellulose-containing material by a cellulolytic enzyme composition compared to the polypeptide having cellulolytic enhancing activity without the soluble activating divalent metal cation. The present invention also relates to compositions, methods for degrading or converting a cellulose-containing material, and methods for producing a fermentation product.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides acyltransferases useful for synthesizing therapeutically important statin compound.

Abstract: A method for producing an L-amino acid of glutamate family such as L-glutamic acid is provided. An L-amino acid of glutamate family is produced by culturing a coryneform bacterium having an ability for producing an L-amino acid of glutamate family, which has been modified so that the activity of an ?-ketoglutaric acid (?-KG) uptake carrier is increased, in a medium, and collecting the L-amino acid of glutamate family from the medium.

Abstract: The present invention relates to methods of recombinantly producing a natively secreted polypeptide, the method comprising the steps of providing a microorganism host cell comprising an exogenous polynucleotide encoding a natively secreted polypeptide without a translationally fused signal peptide; cultivating the microorganism host cell under conditions conducive to the expression of the polypeptide and, optionally, recovering the polypeptide, as well as microorganisms, certain polynucleotides, expression constructs and protease substitution variants.