Abstract: Disclosed is a method for the manufacture of at least one C-20 terpenoid alcohol comprising the steps of converting geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate into copalyl diphosphate (CPP) or labda-13-en-8-ol diphosphate (LPP) and converting CPP or LPP into at least one C-20 terpenoid alcohol, wherein said conversion is carried out by a polypeptide exhibiting diterpene alcohol synthase activity capable of converting CPP into manool, LPP into sclareol and/or LPP into abienol, and wherein said polypeptide comprises an amino acid sequence as specified in the claims. The invention further relates to the aforementioned polypeptide exhibiting diterpene alcohol synthase activity as well as a fusion protein comprising said polypeptide, a polynucleotide encoding it, a vector or gene construct comprising said polynucleotide, a host cell comprising said vector or gene construct.

Abstract: An artificial alkane oxidation system comprising components: a. an oxidase enzyme; and b. one or more enzymes to provide one or more alkanes. The artificial alkane oxidation system optionally has c. an electron transfer compound suitable to transfer at least one electron to the oxidase enzyme; and further optionally has d. an electron transfer compound regeneration enzyme suitable to reduce the electron transfer compound of c. when it is in its oxidized state. The oxidase enzyme is an amino acid sequence with a sequence identity of at least 70% with any one of SEQ ID NO: 1, 10, 11, 23 to 43 or a fragment thereof or a variant thereof.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an alcohol acyl transferase which is capable of esterifying a tertiary monoterpene alcohol such that at least 30% by mass of said tertiary monoterpene alcohol is esterified, preferably within 36 h, 24 h, 18 h, 12 h, 6 h, 3 h, 2 h, 1 h, 45 min or 30 min, more preferably in a microbial cell. The invention further relates to a nucleic acid comprising a nucleic acid sequence encoding the alcohol acyl transferase of the invention, or a complementary sequence thereof, and a vector or gene construct comprising the nucleic acid of the invention. Further provided by the present invention is a host cell comprising the vector or gene construct of the invention, and a transgenic non-human organism comprising the nucleic acid of the invention, the vector or gene construct of the invention, or the host cell of the invention.

Abstract: Disclosed are santalene synthases with improved product profile and methods for improving santalene synthases. The invention further relates to santalene compositions produced by fermentation that have a greater beta-santalene content than alpha-santalene content.