Recombinant microorganisms having a methanol elongation cycle (MEC)

A recombinant E. coli comprising a metabolic pathway for the synthesis of acetyl phosphate from formaldehyde using a pathway comprising:

• (i)(a) a hexulose-6-phosphate synthase having at least 95% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO:14 and catalyzes the formation of hexulose-6-phosphate from formaldehyde and ribulose-5-phosphate, or (b) dihydroxyacetone synthase having at least 95% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO:18 and catalyze the formation of dihydroxyacetone and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate from xylulose-5-phosphate and formaldehyde;
• and
• (ii)(a) a hexulose-6-phosphate isomerase having at least 95% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO:16 and catalyzes the formation of fructose-6-phosphate from hexulose-6-phosphate, or (b) fructose-6-phosphate aldolase having at least 95% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO:20 and catalyzes the formation of fructose-6-phosphate from glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate and dihydroxyacetone;
• and
• (iii) a transaldolase having at least 95% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO:10 and catalyzes the formation of sedoheptulose-7-phosphate from fructose-6-phosphate and erythrose-4-phosphate;
• (iv) a transketolase having at least 95% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO:12 and catalyzes the formation of ribose-5-phosphate and xylulose-5-phosphate from sedoheptulose-7-phosphate and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate and/or glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate and fructose-6-phosphate from xylulose-5-phosphate and erythrose-4-phosphate;
• (v) ribose-5-phosphate isomerase having at least 95% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO:8 and catalyzes the formation of ribulose-5-phosphate from ribose-5-phosphate;
• and
• (vi) a ribulose-5-phosphate epimerase having at least 95% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO:6 and catalyzes the formation of xylulose 5-phosphate from ribulose-5-phosphate;
• and
• (vii) an enzyme having phosphoketolase activity having at least 95% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO:2 and catalyzes the formation of acetyl-phosphate and glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate or erythrose-4-phosphate from xylulose 5-phosphate or fructose 6-phosphate,
• wherein the prokaryotic microorganism has an acetyl-phosphate yield better than a wild-type or parental prokaryotic organism, and wherein the conversion of formaldehyde to acetyl-phosphate using the pathway has minimal to no carbon loss.