Method of preparation of a compound using a genetically modified homolactic thermophilic bacilli

A process for the preparation of a compound of interest utilizing a genetically modified moderately thermophilic Bacillus species that is facultative anaerobic and homolactic, the process comprising:

• (a) genetically modifying a moderately thermophilic Bacillus species that is facultative anaerobic and homolactic to replace an endogenous gene encoding an S-lactate dehydrogenase with a DNA construct encoding an R-lactate dehydrogenase which comprises SEQ ID NO:
• 2 or an amino acid sequence homologous to SEQ ID NO:
• 2, wherein said replacement is obtained by introducing into the thermophilic Bacillus species a thermosensitive plasmid system containing a pSH71 replicon or a homologue of the replicon which comprises a DNA sequence encoding a polypeptide having a thermosensitive replication functionality (the RepA protein) which is at least 90% sequence identical to the polypeptide of SEQ ID NO:
• 1, wherein the DNA sequence encoding the R-lactate dehydrogenase is fused to a promoter functional in the thermophilic Bacillus species;
• or
• (b) obtaining a genetically modified thermophilic Bacillus species that is facultative anaerobic and homolactic, wherein the genetically modified Bacillus species has been modified by replacing an endogenous gene encoding an S-lactate dehydrogenase with a DNA construct encoding an R-lactate dehydrogenase which comprises SEQ ID NO:
• 2 or an amino acid sequence homologous to SEQ ID NO:
• 2, wherein said replacement has been obtained by introducing into the thermophilic Bacillus species a thermosensitive plasmid system containing a pSH71 replicon or a homologue of the replicon which comprises a DNA sequence encoding a polypeptide having a thermosensitive replication functionality (the RepA protein) which is at least 90% sequence identical to the polypeptide of SEQ ID NO:
• 1, wherein the DNA sequence encoding the R-lactate dehydrogenase is fused to a promoter functional in the thermophilic Bacillus species;
• wherein the process further comprises culturing the genetically modified thermophilic Bacillus species that is facultative anaerobic and homolactic under conditions conducive to the production of the compound of interest, wherein the compound of interest is lactic acid and/or lactate.