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US 2017/0283836 A1Published application
Microbial Synthesis Of Aldehydes And Corresponding Alcohols
AssigneeEasel Biotechnologies, LLC
InventorsWendy M. Higashide, Kwang Myung Cho, Shahrooz Rabizadeh
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Abstract
An improved process for alcohol production includes microbial fermentation using a genetically modified microorganism to produce substantial quantities of aldehydes that are stripped from the fermentation medium and condensed. So produced aldehydes are converted in an ex vivo process to corresponding alcohols.
Claims20
A method of producing an alcohol, comprising:
- growing a plurality of microbial cells in a fermentation medium, wherein the cells are genetically modified to have an increased metabolic activity as compared to the same cells without modification;
- wherein the increased metabolic activity is characterized by increased conversion of pyruvate or 2-ketobutyrate to an aldehyde via introduction and expression of recombinant pyruvate decarboxylase or 2-ketoisovalerate decarboxylase, respectively, and via a knockout mutation in a pathway converting pyruvate to acetate;
- wherein the plurality of microbial cells are further genetically modified to have a decreased alcohol dehydrogenase activity, wherein the alcohol dehydrogenase activity is decreased at least 70% as compared to the same cells without further modification, and wherein the decreased alcohol dehydrogenase activity is due to deletion of an endogenous alcohol dehydrogenase;
- removing the aldehyde in a vapor phase from the fermentation medium;
- condensing the aldehyde from the vapor phase;
- and
- reducing the condensed aldehyde to the corresponding alcohol.
4 more elements
A metabolically engineered microbial cell, comprising:
- a recombinant nucleic acid encoding a pyruvate decarboxylase or a 2-ketoisovalerate decarboxylase;
- a promoter element operably coupled to the recombinant nucleic acid to express the pyruvate decarboxylase or the 2-ketoisovalerate decarboxylase in an amount effective to increase conversion of pyruvate or 2-ketobutyrate to an aldehyde as compared to the same cells without the recombinant nucleic acid;
- a knockout mutation in at least one pathway converting pyruvate to acetate;
- a mutation or deletion of an endrogenous alcohol dehydrogenase;
- wherein the mutation or deletion decreases alcohol dehydrogenase activity in the metabolically engineered microbial cell such that the alcohol dehydrogenase activity is decreased at least 70% as compared to the same cells without the mutation or deletion.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.