Production of isoprenoids and isoprenoid precursors

1. A host cell capable of producing an isoprenoid and comprising:

a coding region encoding a mevalonate kinase (MK);

a nucleic acid comprising a nucleotide sequence encoding one or more mevalonate pathway enzyme other than mevalonate kinase selected from a phosphomevalonate kinase (PMK), and a mevalonate pyrophosphate decarboxylase (MPD); and

a heterologous nucleotide sequence encoding a terpene synthase;

wherein the level of MK produced in said host cell is at least 50% higher than the level of at least one of PMK and MPD.

2. A host cell according to claim 1 , wherein the MK coding region is under the control of a first promoter and the nucleotide sequence encoding one or more mevalonate pathway enzyme other than mevalonate kinase is under the control of a second promoter wherein the second promoter is weaker than the first promoter.

3. A host cell according to claim 2 , wherein the first promoter is a constitutively active promoter.

4. A host cell according to claim 2 , wherein the first promoter is an inducible promoter.

5. A host cell according to claim 2 , wherein the first promoter is stronger than a native Escherichia coli Lac promoter or a PLac promoter.

6. A host cell according to claim 2 , wherein the first promoter is a lacUV5 promoter or a trc promoter.

7. A host cell according to claim 1 , wherein said cell comprises at least two coding regions comprising nucleotide sequences encoding a mevalonate kinase.

8. A host cell according to claim 7 , wherein the copy number of coding regions comprising nucleotide sequences encoding a mevalonate kinase is higher than the copy number of coding regions encoding one or more mevalonate pathway enzymes other than mevalonate kinase.

9. A host cell according to claim 1 , further comprising a nucleotide sequence encoding an isopentenyl pyrophosphate (IPP) isomerase.

10. A host cell according to claim 1 , further comprising a heterologous nucleic acid comprising a nucleotide sequence encoding a prenyltransferase selected from a farnesyl diphosphate synthase, a geranyl diphosphate synthase, and a geranylgeranyl diphosphate synthase.

11. A host cell according to claim 1 , wherein the isoprenoid is a diterpene, a triterpene, or a sesquiterpene.

12. A host cell according to claim 1 , wherein one or more of the nucleotide sequences encoding the mevalonate kinase or mevalonate pathway enzymes is codon-optimized for expression in said host cell.

13. A host cell according to claim 1 , wherein the terpene synthase is selected from an amorpha-4,11-diene synthase; a beta-caryophyllene synthase; a germacrene A synthase; a 8-epicedrol synthase; a valencene synthase; a (+)-delta-cadinene synthase; a germacrene C synthase; a (E)-beta- farnesene synthase; a casbene synthase; a vetispiradiene synthase; a 5-epi-aristolochene synthase; an aristolchene synthase alpha-humulene synthase; an (E,E)-alpha-farnesene synthase; a (−)-beta-pinene synthase; a gamma-terpinene synthase; a limonene cyclase; a linalool synthase; a 1,8-cineole synthase; a (+)-sabinene synthase; an E-alpha-bisabolene synthase; a (+)-bornyl diphosphate synthase; a levopimaradiene synthase; an abietadiene synthase; an isopimaradiene synthase; a (E)-gamma-bisabolene synthase; a taxadiene synthase; a copalyl pyrophosphate synthase; a kaurene synthase; a longifolene synthase; a gamma-humulene synthase; a Delta-selinene synthase; a beta-phellandrene synthase; a limonene synthase; a myrcene synthase; a terpinolene synthase; a (−)-camphene synthase; a (+)-3-carene synthase; a syn-copalyl diphosphate synthase; an alpha-terpineol synthase; a syn-pimara-7,15-diene synthase; an ent-sandaaracopimaradiene synthase; a stemer-13-ene synthase; a E-beta-ocimene; a S-linalool synthase; a geraniol synthase; a gamma-terpinene synthase; a linalool synthasel; a E-beta-ocimene synthase; an epi-cedrol synthase; an alpha-zingiberene synthase; a guaiadiene synthase; a cascarilladiene synthase; a cis-muuroladiene synthase; an aphidicolan-16b-ol synthase; an elizabethatriene synthase; a sandalol synthase; a patchoulol synthase; a zinzanol synthase; a cedrol synthase; a scareol synthase, copalol synthase; and a manool synthase.

14. A host cell according to claim 1 , wherein the host cell is a prokaryotic cell.

15. A host cell according to claim 1 , wherein the host cell is a eukaryotic cell.

16. An Escherichia coli host cell capable of producing an isoprenoid and comprising:

a first expression plasmid comprising a nucleotide sequence encoding a mevalonate kinase;

a second expression plasmid comprising a nucleotide sequence encoding one or more mevalonate pathway enzymes other than mevalonate kinase, wherein the copy number of the second expression plasmid is lower than that of the first expression plasmid; and

a heterologous nucleotide sequence encoding a terpene synthase.

17. A host cell according to claim 14 , wherein the host cell is a prokaryotic cell that does not synthesize an isopentenyl pyrophosphate (IPP) via an endogenous mevalonate pathway.

18. A host cell according to claim 1 , wherein the host cell is genetically modified with one or more nucleic acids comprising nucleotide sequences encoding one or more of:

a) an acetoacetyl-CoA thiolase;

b) an enzyme that condenses acetoacetyl-CoA with acetyl-CoA to form hydroxymethylglutaryl- CoenzymeA (HMG-CoA); and

c) an enzyme that converts HMG-CoA to mevalonate.

19. A host cell according to claim 18 , wherein the enzyme that condenses acetoacetyl-CoA with acetyl-CoA to form HMG-CoA is HMG-CoA synthase.

20. A host cell according to claim 16 , wherein the mevalonate pathway enzymes other than mevalonate kinase are selected from a phosphomevalonate kinase (PMK), and a mevalonate pyrophosphate decarboxylase (MPD).

21. A host cell according to claim 16 , further comprising a nucleotide sequence encoding an isopentenyl pyrophosphate (IPP) isomerase.

22. A host cell according to claim 16 , further comprising a heterologous nucleic acid comprising a nucleotide sequence encoding a prenyltransferase selected from a farnesyl diphosphate synthase, a geranyl diphosphate synthase, and a geranylgeranyl diphosphate synthase.

23. A host cell according to claim 16 , wherein the isoprenoid is a diterpene, a triterpene, or a sesquiterpene.

24. A host cell according to claim 16 , wherein one or more of the nucleotide sequences encoding the mevalonate kinase or mevalonate pathway enzymes is codon-optimized for expression in said host cell.

25. A host cell according to claim 16 , wherein the terpene synthase is selected from an amorpha-4,11-diene synthase; a beta-caryophyllene synthase; a germacrene A synthase; a 8-epicedrol synthase; a valencene synthase; a (+)-delta-cadinene synthase; a germacrene C synthase; a (E)-beta- farnesene synthase; a casbene synthase; a vetispiradiene synthase; a 5-epi-aristolochene synthase; an aristolchene synthase alpha-humulene synthase; an (E,E)-alpha-farnesene synthase; a (−)-beta-pinene synthase; a gamma-terpinene synthase; a limonene cyclase; a linalool synthase; a 1,8-cineole synthase; a (+)-sabinene synthase; an E-alpha-bisabolene synthase; a (+)-bornyl diphosphate synthase; a levopimaradiene synthase; an abietadiene synthase; an isopimaradiene synthase; a (E)-gamma-bisabolene synthase; a taxadiene synthase; a copalyl pyrophosphate synthase; a kaurene synthase; a longifolene synthase; a gamma-humulene synthase; a Delta-selinene synthase; a beta-phellandrene synthase; a limonene synthase; a myrcene synthase; a terpinolene synthase; a (−)-camphene synthase; a (+)-3-carene synthase; a syn-copalyl diphosphate synthase; an alpha-terpineol synthase; a syn-pimara-7,15-diene synthase; an ent-sandaaracopimaradiene synthase; a stemer-13-ene synthase; a E-beta-ocimene; a S-linalool synthase; a geraniol synthase; a gamma-terpinene synthase; a linalool synthasel; a E-beta-ocimene synthase; an epi-cedrol synthase; an alpha-zingiberene synthase; a guaiadiene synthase; a cascarilladiene synthase; a cis-muuroladiene synthase; an aphidicolan-16b-ol synthase; an elizabethatriene synthase; a sandalol synthase; a patchoulol synthase; a zinzanol synthase; a cedrol synthase; a scareol synthase, copalol synthase; and a manool synthase.

26. A host cell according to claim 16 , wherein the level of MK produced in said host cell is at least 50% higher than the level of at least one of the mevalonate pathway enzymes other than mevalonate kinase.

27. A host cell according to claim 18 , wherein the enzyme that converts HMG-CoA to mevalonate is HMG-CoA reductase.