Method of producing terpenes or terpenoids

A method of producing a terpene or terpenoid comprising (i) culturing a recombinant Deinococcus bacterium that is genetically modified to overexpress a native, homologous or heterologous dxs gene encoding 1-deoxyxylulose 5-phosphate synthase (DXS) and to overexpress a native, homologous or heterologous idi gene encoding isopentenyl pyrophosphatase isomerase (IPP isomerase), under conditions suitable to produce the terpene or terpenoid and optionally (ii) recovering the terpene or terpenoid, wherein the 1-deoxyxylulose 5-phosphate synthase has at least 90% sequence identity to the polypeptide of SEQ ID NO:

• 4, is a mutant DXS enzyme comprising a cysteine at position corresponding to position 244 of SEQ ID NO:
• 52, is a R244C mutant of the DXP synthase from D. radiopugnans (SEQ ID NO:
• 8), is a R238C mutant of the DXP synthase from D. yunweiensis (SEQ ID NO:
• 14) or is a R241C mutant of the DXP synthase from D. geothermalis (SEQ ID NO:
• 56).