Process for reacting a carboxylic acid ester

A process for transforming a carboxylic acid ester of the formula (I) into a second carboxylic acid ester:

• R1-A-COOR2 (I),
• where
• R1 is hydrogen, —CH2OH, —CHO, —COORS, —CH2SH, —CH2OR3 or —CH2NH2,
• R2 is an alkyl group,
• R3 is hydrogen or an alkyl group, and
• A is an unsubstituted, a linear, or an unsubstituted and linear alkylene radical having at least 10 carbons,
• the process comprising:
• contacting a recombinant cell with the carboxylic acid ester of the formula (I) in an aqueous solution to convert the carboxylic acid ester of the formula (I) to the second carboxylic acid ester,
• wherein the recombinant cell has a reduced activity of a polypeptide comprising SEQ ID NO:
• 2 or a polypeptide having at least 70% homology to SEQ ID NO:2 and having essentially the same enzymatic activity as the polypeptide comprising SEQ ID NO:2 compared to an activity in a corresponding wild-type cell due to knockout of a gene encoding the polypeptide comprising SEQ ID NO:2 or the polypeptide having at least 70% homology to SEQ ID NO:2 and having essentially the same enzymatic activity as the polypeptide comprising SEQ ID NO:2,
• the recombinant cell comprises a polypeptide having at least 80% sequence identity to consecutive 230 amino acids of SEQ ID NO:
• 15 and having essentially the same enzymatic activity as Pseudomonas putida AlkL, where the polypeptide is optionally overexpressed,
• the recombinant cell has been transformed to express a transaminase, Pseudomonas putida AlkBGT, and an alanine dehydrogenase,
• the recombinant cell has a reduced activity of at least one enzyme catalyzing any of reactions of fatty acid β-oxidation compared to an activity in the wild-type cell due to knockout, and
• the at least one enzyme catalyzing any of reactions of fatty acid β-oxidation is selected from the group consisting of fatty acid-CoA ligase, acyl-CoA dehydrogenase, 2,4-dienoyl-CoA reductase, enoyl-CoA hydratase, 3-ketoacyl-CoA thiolase, and a fatty acid importer.