BIOTECHNOLOGICAL PRODUCTION OF ALCOHOLS AND DERIVATIVES THEREOF

• US 20150275245A1
• Filed: 12/14/2012
• Published: 10/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Evonik Operations GmbH (Rag-Stiftung)
• Original Assignee: Evonik Industries AG (Rag-Stiftung)
• Inventors: Haas, Thomas, Thum, Oliver, Pfeffer, Jan Christoph, Engel, Philip, Gehring, Christian, Poetter, Markus
• Application Number:
  US14/367,610
• Publication Number:
  US 20150275245A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 9/001 acting on the CH-CH group of donors (1.3)
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 9/0071 acting on paired donors with incorporation of molecular oxygen (1.14)
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 9/0077 with a reduced iron-sulfur protein as one donor (1.14.15)
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 9/1096 transferring nitrogenous groups (2.6)
• CPC Class Codes: C12P 13/001 Amines; Imines
• CPC Class Codes: C12P 13/005 Amino acids other than alpha- or beta amino acids, e.g. gamma amino acids
• CPC Class Codes: C12P 7/04 acyclic
• CPC Class Codes: C12P 7/24 containing a carbonyl group
• CPC Class Codes: C12P 7/6409 Fatty acids
• CPC Class Codes: C12Y 114/11 with 2-oxoglutarate as one donor, and incorporation of one atom each of oxygen into both donors (1.14.11)
• CPC Class Codes: C12Y 114/15003 Alkane 1-monooxygenase (1.14.15.3)
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 50/10 Biofuels, e.g. bio-diesel

Abstract

The present invention relates to a microorganism having a reduced fatty acid degradation capacity and expressing a recombinant alkane oxidase, a method for oxidizing an alkyl, comprising a contacting the alkyl with an aqueous solution comprising the inventive cell.

Claims

1. A microorganism having a reduced fatty acid degradation capacity and expressing a recombinant alkane oxidase.

2. The microorganism according to claim 1, wherein the expressed recombinant alkane oxidase is selected from the group consisting of a rubredoxin-dependent alkane oxidase, a cytochrome P450 enzyme, a xylene monooxygenase, a methane monooxygenase, and variants thereof.

3. The microorganism according to claim 1, wherein the fatty acid degradation capacity is reduced due to deletion of a gene encoding an enzyme selected from the group consisting of a fatty acid importer, a fatty acid-CoA ligase, an acyl-CoA dehydrogenase, a 2,4-dienoyl-CoA reductase, an enoyl-CoA hydratase and a 3-ketoacyl-CoA thiolase.

4. The microorganism according to claim 1, wherein the microorganism is a prokaryotic or a lower eukaryotic cell.

5. The microorganism according to claim 1, wherein the microorganism expresses a recombinant alcohol dehydrogenase.

6. The microorganism according to claim 1, wherein the microorganism expresses a recombinant transaminase.

7. The microorganism according to claim 6, wherein the microorganism expresses a recombinant amino acid dehydrogenase.

8. A method for oxidizing an alkyl, comprising

a) contacting the alkyl with an aqueous solution comprising the microorganism according to claim 1.

9. The method according to claim 8, further comprising

b) contacting the aqueous solution from a) with a water-immiscible organic solvent.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein b) is carried out following completion of the alkyl oxidation.

12. The method according to claim 8, wherein the alkyl is a compound represented by the formula H—

(CH₂)_x—

R, wherein x is 1 to 30, and R is any chemical group.

13. The method according to claim 8, wherein the alkyl is a linear alkane.

14. The method according to claim 9, wherein the water-immiscible organic solvent is a water-immiscible fatty acid or fatty acid ester.

15. The microorganism according to claim 1, wherein the microorganism is a bacterial cell.

16. The microorganism according to claim 1, wherein the microorganism is E. coli.

17. The microorganism according to claim 7, wherein the recombinant amino acid dehydrogenase is an alanine dehydrogenase.

11. (canceled)