Cyanobacterium sp. host cell and vector for production of chemical compounds in Cyanobacterial cultures

A genetically enhanced ethanologenic Cyanobacterium sp. ABICyanol host cell comprising Cyanobacterium sp. ABICyanol deposited in the American Type Culture Collection (ATCC) under ATCC accession number PTA-13311 comprising a genetically enhanced plasmid derived from a plasmid that is endogenous to Cyanobacterium sp. ABICyanol, and wherein said plasmid comprises a heterologous alcohol dehydrogenase gene and a heterologous pyruvate decarboxylase gene, and

• wherein said alcohol dehydrogenase gene is operably linked to a constitutive promoter, and
• wherein said pyruvate decarboxylase gene is operably linked to an inducible promoter, and
• wherein said Cyanobacterium sp. ABICyanol can tolerate salinities ranging up to about 35 practical salinity units, and
• can tolerate temperatures ranging up to about 55 degrees Celsius, and
• can tolerate dissolved oxygen concentrations ranging up to about 1000 μmol/L, and
• can tolerate ethanol. concentrations ranging up to about one percent for 16 weeks, and
• wherein production of ethanol by said ethanologenic Cyanobacterium sp. ABICyanol host cell is from about 0.017 percent ethanol (vol/vol) per OD750 per day to about 0.031 percent ethanol (vol/vol) per OD750 per day.