Biofuel and chemical production by recombinant microorganisms via fermentation of proteinaceous biomass

A recombinant microorganism comprising a deletion, reduced expression, or reduced function of a gene involved in synthesis or uptake of a quorum sensing-related autoinducer molecule and/or of a gene involved in ammonia reuptake, and further comprising at least one heterologous polynucleotide encoding a dehydrogenase, a transaminase, or a deaminase that deaminates an amino acid substrate to produce an increased keto-acid flux when compared with the wild-type organism;

• wherein the dehydrogenase is selected from the group consisting of glutamate dehydrogenase (E.C. 1.4.1.2 and E.C. 1.4.1.4), glutamic dehydrogenase (E.C. 1.4.1.3), valine dehydrogenase (E.C. 1.4.1.8), leucine dehydrogenase (E.C. 1.4.1.9), and phenylalanine dehydrogenase (E.C. 1.4.1.20);
• wherein the deaminase is selected from the group consisting of aspartate ammonia lyase (4.3.1.1), L-serine ammonia lyase (E.C. 4.3.1.17), D-serine ammonia lyase (4.3.1.18), threonine ammonia lyase (E.C. 4.3.1.19), tyrosine ammonia lyase (E.C. 4.3.1.23), phenylalanine ammonia lyase (E.C. 4.3.1.24), and phenylalanine/tyrosine ammonia lyase (E.C. 4.3.1.25);
• wherein the transaminase is an L-α-transaminase (E.C. 2.6.I.X, where X is any number);
• wherein the deletion, reduced expression, or reduced function of a gene involved in synthesis or uptake of a quorum sensing related autoinducer molecule is from the deletion, or reduced expression or function of the genes luxS or lsrA;
• and
• wherein the deletion, reduced expression, or reduced function of a gene involved in ammonia reuptake is from the deletion, or reduced expression or function of the genes gdhA or glnA.