Cloning of a novel gene involved in alkane biosynthesis from Klebsiella sp.

Aliphatic medium-chain alkanes, a major component of gasoline, diesel, and jet fuels, are drop-in compatible fuels. Microorganisms with the capacity to produce medium-chain alkanes are promising for the bio-production of drop-in fuel. We found that Klebsiella sp.

A search for microorganisms producing medium-chain alkanes from aldehydes.

Microorganisms with medium-chain alkane-producing activity are promising for the bio-production of drop-in fuel. In this study, we screened for microorganisms producing tridecane from tetradecanal. The activity of aldehyde decarbonylation was found in a wide range of microbes.

Disruption of multiple genes whose deletion causes lactic-acid resistance improves lactic-acid resistance and productivity in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

To create strains that have high productivity of lactic acid without neutralization, a genome-wide screening for strains showing hyper-resistance to 6% l-lactic acid (pH 2.6) was performed using the gene deletion collection of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We identified 94 genes whose disruption led to resistance to 6% lactic acid in rich medium.

A microbial factory for lactate-based polyesters using a lactate-polymerizing enzyme.

Polylactate (PLA) is synthesized as a representative bio-based polyester by the chemo-bio process on the basis of metal catalyst-mediated chemical polymerization of lactate (LA) supplied by microbial fermentation. To establish the one-step microbial process for synthesis of LA-based polyesters, we explored whether polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) synthase would exhibit polymerizing activity toward a LA-coenzyme A (CoA), based on the fact that PHA monomeric constituents, especially 3-hydroxybutyrate (3HB), are structurally analogous to LA. An engineered PHA synthase was discovered as a candidate by a two-phase in vitro polymerization system previously developed.