Beta-Lactone Production Through Bioconversion and Methods Related Thereto

Abstract

Methods of β-lactone production, including the integrated bioconversion of β-lactone production and methods related thereto. Methods include reacting a feedstock and a recombinant microorganism harboring one or more genes encoding enzymes involved in the metabolic pathway of a 3-hydroxycarboxylic acid, thereby producing a 3-hydroxycarboxylic acid having C1-C10 alkyl groups. Thereafter, reacting the 3-hydroxycarboxilic acid with a bioengineered natural β-lactone synthetase, the bioengineered β-lactone synthetase engineered to comprise a substrate binding pocket capable of accepting the 3-hydroxycarboxylic acid having C1-C10 alkyl groups, thereby producing a β-lactone having C1-C10 alkyl groups.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.