Exxonmobil Research and Engineering Company

Thomas E Wall

Stanley Bower

You Chen

Robert Christopher Brown

Jennifer Coppersmith

Wendy Loza

The invention provides a method of culturing a microorganism that produces a free fatty acid in a culture medium, comprising culturing the microorganism in the culture medium comprising a sufficient amount (e.g., at least about 0.5 mM) of a carboxylate counterion source to enhance viability of the microorganism in the culture medium. Fatty acids produced using the methods of the invention can be used to synthesize a variety of products, including biofuels.

Culturing a microorganism in a medium with an elevated level of a carboxylate counterion source

The invention provides transgenic photosynthetic microorganisms that include non-native genes encoding polypeptides having lipolytic activity for production of free fatty acids and fatty acid derivatives, and methods of producing free fatty acids and fatty acid derivatives using the transgenic microorganisms disclosed herein. The invention also provides transgenic microorganisms that include non-native genes encoding polypeptides having lipolytic activity, and novel genes encoding polypeptides demonstrating lipolytic activity.

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Austin, TX, United States of America

Thomas E Wall