Pentose fermentation by recombinant zymomonas

• US 5,712,133 A
• Filed: 04/14/1995
• Issued: 01/27/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Alliance For Sustainable Energy LLC
• Original Assignee: Midwest Research Institute
• Inventors: Picataggio, Stephen K., Finkelstein, Mark, Mohagheghi, Ali, Eddy, Christina K., Newman, Mildred M., McMillan, James D., Deanda, Kristine A., Zhang, Min
• Primary Examiner(s): Prouty, Rebecca E.
• Application Number:
  US08/422,424
• Time in Patent Office: 1,019 Days
• Field of Search: 435/161, 435/163, 435/165, 435/320.1, 435/252.3
• US Class Current: 435/161
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 15/52 Genes encoding for enzymes or proenzymes
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 9/10 Transferases (2.) ribonucleases C12N9/22
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 9/90 Isomerases (5.)
• CPC Class Codes: C12P 7/065 with microorganisms other than yeasts
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 50/10 Biofuels, e.g. bio-diesel

Abstract

The invention relates to microorganisms which normally do not ferment pentose sugar and which are genetically altered to ferment pentose sugar to produce ethanol, and fermentation processes utilizing the same. Examples include Zymomonas mobilis which has been transformed with combinations of E. coli genes for xylose isomerase, xylulokinase, transaldolase, transketolase, L-arabinose isomerase, L-ribulokinase, and L-ribulose 5-phosphate 4-epimerase. Expression of the added genes are under the control of Zymomonas mobilis promoters. These newly created microorganisms are useful for fermenting pentoses and glucose, produced by hydrolysis of hemicellulose and cellulose, to produce ethanol.

Claims

1. A process for producing ethanol comprising:

providing a feedstock containing arabinose, adding the microorganism Zymomonas mobilis to the feedstock, said microorganism containing exogenous genes that encode L-arabinose isomerase, L-ribulokinase and L-ribulose-5-phosphate-4-epimerase, transaldolase and transketolase which impart arabinose to ethanol fermentation capability and wherein said microorganism without said genes is incapable of fermenting said arabinose to ethanol,

allowing the microorganism to ferment the arabinose in the feedstock to ethanol, and separating the ethanol.

3. The process of claim 1, wherein said exogenous genes are expressed under the control of one or more promotors selected from the group consisting of Z. mobilis glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase and Z. mobilis enolase located 5'"'"' to said genes, whereby said genes are expressed in said microorganism to confer upon said microorganism an ability to ferment arabinose directly to ethanol.

4. The process of claim 1, wherein the exogenous genes are integrated into the host genome.

5. The process of claim 1, wherein the exogenous genes are located on a vector.

2. A process for producing ethanol comprising:

providing a feedstock containing xylose, adding the microorganism Zymomonas mobilis to the feedstock, said microorganism containing exogenous genes that encode xylose isomerase, xylulokinase, transaldolase and transketolase and capable of growing on xylose as a sole carbon source and fermenting said xylose to ethanol at about 88% of theoretical yield and wherein said microorganism without said genes is incapable of growing on or fermenting said xylose in the feedstock to ethanol, allowing the microorganism to ferment the xylose in the feedstock to ethanol, and separating the ethanol.

8. The process of claim 2, wherein the genes encoding said xylose isomerase and xylulokinase are expressed under the control the Z. mobilis glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase promotor and said transaldolase and transketolase are expressed under the control of the Z. mobilis enolase promotor, whereby said genes are expressed in said microorganism to confer upon said microorganism an ability to ferment xylose directly to ethanol.

9. The process of claim 2, wherein the exogenous genes are integrated into the host genome.

10. The process of claim 2, wherein the exogenous genes are located on a vector.

6. A process for producing ethanol comprising, providing a mixed sugar feedstock consisting essentially of at least two sugars selected from the group consisting of glucose, fructose, sucrose, xylose and arabinose, adding the microorganism Zymomonas mobilis containing exogenous genes to the feedstock, allowing the fermentation to ethanol from sugar contained in the feedstock to occur, and separating the ethanol, wherein the microorganism is Zymomonas mobilis containing exogenous genes from a microorganism selected from the group consisting of:

E. coli, Xanthomonas, Klebsiella, Rhodobacter, Flavobacterium, Acetobacter, Gluconobacter, Rhizobium, Agrobacterium, Salmonella and Pseudomonads which encode L-arabinose isomerase, L-ribulokinase, L-ribulose 5-phosphate 4-epimerase, transaldolase and transketolase, and/or Zymomonas mobilis containing exogenous genes from a microorganism selected from the group consisting of E. coli, Xanthomonas, Klebsiella, Rhodobacter, Flavobacterium, Acetobacter, Gluconobacter, Rhizobium, Agrobacterium, Salmonella and Pseudomonads which encode xylose isomerase, xylulokinase, transaldolase and transketolase, wherein the microorganism is capable of growing on xylose as a sole carbon source and fermenting said xylose to ethanol at about 88% of theoretical yield.

7. The process of claim 6, further comprising the addition of the hydrolytic enzyme cellulase enzyme complex and wherein said mixed sugar feedstock also contains cellulose.