Production of isoprenoids

1. A method for producing an isoprenoid comprising:

(a) obtaining a plurality of bacterial or fungal host cells that comprise a heterologous nucleic acid encoding one or more enzymes of a mevalonate pathway for making isopentenyl pyrophosphate, wherein expression of the one or more enzymes is under control of at least one heterologous transcriptional regulator, wherein said mevalonate pathway comprises (i) an enzyme that condenses acetoacetyl-CoA with acetyl-CoA to form HMG-CoA; (ii) an enzyme that converts HMG-CoA to mevalonate; (iii) an enzyme that phosphorylates mevalonate to mevalonate 5-phosphate; (iv) an enzyme that converts mevalonate 5-phosphate to mevalonate 5-pyrophosphate; and (v) an enzyme that converts mevalonate 5-pyrophosphate to isopentenyl pyrophosphate; and

(b) culturing the bacterial or fungal host cells in a medium in which carbon source is limited so that the medium provides for about 75% or less of maximum specific growth rate for the bacterial or fungal host cells, wherein said maximum specific growth rate is a rate that would have been achieved by culturing the bacterial or fungal host cells under optimal temperature for growth of the bacterial or fungal host cells, and in a medium in which nutrients are present in excess.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one heterologous transcriptional regulator is inducible.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the mevalonate pathway enzymes are under control of a single transcriptional regulator.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the mevalonate pathway enzymes are under control of a multiple transcriptional regulator.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the host cells comprise a plurality of heterologous nucleic acids encoding all of the enzymes of a mevalonate pathway.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the bacterial cells are E coli.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the heterologous nuckic acid comprises a nucleic acid sequence encoding a mevaloante pathway enzyme from a fungus having an endogenous mevalonate pathway.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the host cells are S. cerevisiae.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the heterologous nucleic acid comprises a nucleic acid sequence encoding a mevalonate pathway enzyme from a bacterium having an endogenous mevalonate pathway.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the bacterium is of the genus selected from Enterococcus, Pseudomonas , and Staphyloccoccus.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the heterologous nucleic acid comprises a nucleic acid sequence encoding a mevaloante pathway enzyme selected from acetyl-CoA thiolase, HMG-CoA synthase, HMG-CoA reductase, and mevalonate kinase.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the heterologous nucleic acid comprises a nucleic acid sequence encoding a Class II HMG reductase.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the host cells are cultured in the medium wherein nutrient and temperature both are maintained at a level below that which would provide for the maximum specific growth rate for the host cells.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the temperature of the medium is at least 2-20° C. below the optimal temperature.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the host cells are cultured at a temperature at least 5° C. below the optimal temperature.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein the temperature of the medium is at least 10° C. below the optimal temperature.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein the medium will provide for about 60% or less of the maximum specific growth rate.

18. The method of claim 1 wherein the medium will provide for about 50% or less of the maximum specific growth rate.

19. The method of claim 1 wherein the medium will provide for about 40% or less of the maximum specific growth rate.

20. The method of claim 1 wherein the medium will provide for about 25% or less of the maximum specific growth rate.

21. The method of claim 1 wherein the medium will provide for about 75%-10% of the maximum specific growth rate.

22. The method of claim 1 wherein the medium is nitrogen-restricted.

23. The method of claim 1 wherein the isoprenoid is produced in an amount greater than about 10 grams per liter of medium.

24. The method of claim 1 wherein the isoprenoid is produced in an amount greater than about 50 mg per gram of dry cell weight.

25. The method of any one of claims 23 or 24 wherein the amount of isoprenoid is produced in less tan about 150 hours.

26. The method of claim 23 or 24 wherein the amount of isoprenoid is produced in less than about 96 hours.

27. The method of claim 23 or 24 wherein the amount of isoprenoid is produced in less than about 72 hours.

28. The method of claim 1 wherein the isoprenoid is selected from the group consisting of a hemiterpene, monoterpene, diterpene, triterpene, tetraterpene, sesquiterpene, and polyterpene.

29. The method of claim 1 wherein the isoprenoid is a sesquiterpene.

30. The method of claim 1 wherein the isoprenoid is a C 5 -C 20 isoprenoid.

31. The method of claim 1 wherein the isoprenoid is selected from the group consisting of abietadiene, amorphadiene, carene, α-famesene, β-farnesene, farnesol, geraniol, geranylgeraniol, isoprene, linalool, limonene, myrcene, nerolidol, ocimene, patchoulol, β-pinene, sabinene, γ-terpinene, terpindene and valencene.

32. The method of claim 1 , wherein the nutrients comprise carbon source and nitrogen source.

33. The method of claim 29 wherein the sescjuiterpene is α-farnesene.

34. The method of claim 29 wherein the sesquiterpene is β-farnesene.

35. The method of claim 29 wherein the sesquiterpene is amorphadiene.

36. The method of claim 29 wherein the sesquiterpene is farnesol.

37. The method of claim 29 wherein the sesquiterpene is nerolidol.

38. The method of claim 30 wherein the sesquiterpene is patchoulol.

39. The method of claim 30 wherein the sesquiterpene is valencene.

40. The method of claim 1 , wherein said one or more enzymes is a bacterial enzyme.

41. The method of claim 1 , wherein said one or more enzymes is a fbngal enzyme.