Lallemand Hungary Liquidity Management LLC

Cargill Inc.

Mascoma Corporation

Stellenbosch University

Natureworks LLC

Cargill Dow Polymers LLC

Nature Work, LLP

Universiteit Stellenbosch

Vineet Rajgarhia

John E McBride

Elena E Brevnova

Stacey Olson

Pirkko Suominen

Laura Ruohonen

Mark Mellon

Kari Koivuranta

Marja Ilmen

Aristos Aristidou

Merja Penttilä

Allan C Froehlich

Erin Wiswall

Christopher K Miller

Anne K Warner

Chhayal V Gandhi

Merja Elisa Penttila

Jeffrey John Kolstad

Aharon Eyal

Ting Liu Carlson

Arthur J Shaw, Iv

Haowen Xu

Alan Benjamin Gilbert

William Ryan Sillers

John N Starr

David Anthony Hogsett

Vassily Hatzimanikatis

Nicky Caiazza

Charles F Rice

Matti Siika-Aho

Johannes Pieter Van Dijken

Emily Stonehouse

Riaan Den Haan

Shital A Tripathi

Kristen M Deleault

John S Bardsley

Indraneel Shikhare

Sanni Voutilainen

James H Flatt

Marja Ilmén

Jaana Uusitalo

Anu Koivula

Deidre Willes

Naomi Thorngren

Emily A Stonehouse

Dan Murphy

Heidi Hanson Hau

Jeffrey D Keating

Jeff Villari

Chhayal Ghandi

Alan Froehlich

Aaron Argyros

Chris Miller

Emile Van Zyl

Shaunita Hellouise Rose

Danie Lagrange

Jim Flatt

Steve Licht

Hans Van Dijken

Elena Brevnova

Ben Hause

Shaunita Rose

Merja Penttila

Merja Penttilae

Merja Pentillä

The present invention provides for novel metabolic pathways leading to propanol, alcohol or polyol formation in a consolidated bioprocessing system (CBP), where lignocellulosic biomass is efficiently converted to such products. More specifically, the invention provides for a recombinant microorganism, where the microorganism expresses one or more native and/or heterologous enzymes; where the one or more enzymes function in one or more engineered metabolic pathways to achieve: (1) conversion of a carbohydrate source to 1,2-propanediol, isopropropanol, ethanol and/or glycerol; (2) conversion of a carbohydrate source to n-propanol and isopropanol; (3) conversion of a carbohydrate source to isopropanol and methanol; or (4) conversion of a carbohydrate source to propanediol and acetone; wherein the one or more native and/or heterologous enzymes is activated, upregulated or downregulated.

Production of propanols, alcohols, and polyols in consolidated bioprocessing organisms

The present invention provides for heterologous expression of termite and termite-associated symbiont cellulases. The cellulases can, for example, be codon-optimized and expressed in yeast host cells, such as the yeast. The cellulases can also be co-expressed in host cells with other cellulases. The expression in such host cells of the termite and termite-associated symbiont cellulases, and variants and combinations thereof, result in yeast with improved cellulosic activity. Thus, such genes and expression systems are useful for efficient and cost-effective consolidated bioprocessing systems.

Heterologous expression of termite cellulases in yeast

The present invention is directed to cellulytic host cells. The host cells of the invention expressing heterologous cellulases and are able to produce ethanol from cellulose. According to the invention, host cells expressing a combination of heterologous cellulases can be used to produce ethanol from cellulose. In addition, multiple host cells expressing different heterologous cellulases can be co-cultured together and used to produce ethanol from cellulose. Furthermore, the invention demonstrates for the first time the ability ofto produce ethanol from cellulose. The yeast strains and co-cultures of yeast strains of the invention can be used to produce ethanol on their own, or can also be used in combination with externally added cellulases to increase the efficiency of saccharification and fermentation processes.

Yeast expressing cellulases for simultaneous saccharification and fermentation using cellulose

Yeast cells are transformed with an exogenous xylose isomerase gene. Additional genetic modifications enhance the ability of the transformed cells to ferment xylose to ethanol or other desired fermentation products. Those modifications include deletion of non-specific or specific aldose reductase gene(s), deletion of xylitol dehydrogenase gene(s) and/or overexpression of xylulokinase.

Genetically modified yeast species, and fermentation processes using genetically modified yeast

One aspect of the invention relates to a genetically modified thermophilic or mesophilic microorganism, wherein a first native gene is partially, substantially, or completely deleted, silenced, inactivated, or down-regulated, which first native gene encodes a first native enzyme involved in the metabolic production of an organic acid or a salt thereof, thereby increasing the native ability of said thermophilic or mesophilic microorganism to produce lactate or acetate as a fermentation product. In certain embodiments, the aforementioned microorganism further comprises a first non-native gene, which first non-native gene encodes a first non-native enzyme involved in the metabolic production of lactate or acetate. Another aspect of the invention relates to a process for converting lignocellulosic biomass to lactate or acetate, comprising contacting lignocellulosic biomass with a genetically modified thermophilic or mesophilic microorganism.

Detoxification of biomass derived acetate via metabolic conversion to ethanol, acetone, isopropanol, or ethyl acetate

The present invention relates to the engineering and expression of heterologous cellulosomes in microorganisms in order to facilitate the conversion of biomass to useful products. In some embodiments, the invention relates to the expression of scaffoldin proteins which form the nucleus of a cellulosome. Cellulases or other biomass-degrading enzymes can be non-covalently linked to the scaffoldin protein by virtue of a dockerin domain-cohesin domain interaction.

Yeast cells expressing an exogenous cellulosome and methods of using the same

Host cells, comprisingexpressing heterologous cellulases produce ethanol from cellulose In addition, multiple host cells expressing different heterlogous cellulases can be co-cultured together and used to produce ethanol from cellulose The recombinant yeast strains and co-cultures of the yeast strains can be used to produce ethanol on their own, or can also be used in combination with externally added cellulases to increase the efficiency of sacchanfication and fermentation processes.

Heterologous expression of termite cellulases yeast

The present invention provides for the isolation and characterization of the cbh1 gene from. In particular, the present invention provides for the nucleic acid and amino acid sequences ofcbh1, and domains, variants and derivatives thereof. The present invention further provides for the heterologous expression ofCbh1 in host cells, including yeast, e.g.,. Expression ofCbh1 in host cells will augment cellulose digestion and facilitate ethanol production by those host cells on cellulosic substrates. In certain embodiments, heterologous expression inis in coordination with heterologous expression of other known, or newly identified saccharolytic enzymes. Therefore, the present invention also provides that the novelCbh1 gene can utilized in a consolidated bioprocessing system.

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Lebanon, NH, United States of America

Vineet Rajgarhia